New York Islanders should move Brock Nelson to wing

Moving Brock Nelson to wing makes sense for both the New York Islanders and the player.

Recently, the New York Islanders signed their last remaining restricted free agent Brock Nelson. The forward agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.25 million. While that’s a slight overpay, it’s only for a year, so it doesn’t really matter. Nelson will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season.

It appears at least one of the parties involved is interested in moving on from one another. Maybe both are. But for whatever reason, the Islanders and Nelson came into this summer knowing he would be a free agent after next season and still didn’t work out a long-term deal.

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Nelson has been a center for his entire NHL career, spanning five seasons. However, he has struggled a bit at center.

Sure, Nelson has a career-high of 45 points, which isn’t awful. Also, it’s worth noting he was a goal away from having his fourth-straight season with at least 20 goals.

However, there’s more to being a center than producing. Centers are expected to help drive possession. This is something Nelson hasn’t done well in the past three seasons, posting a negative five-on-five CorsiFor percentage, scoring chances for percentage, and shots for percentage in each of those seasons.

So what should the Islanders do with Nelson, a guy who they might not want (or at least doesn’t want to stick around)? Moving him to wing would make sense for both parties. First of all, Nelson is a pretty effective goal scorer. Four straight seasons with 19 goals might not sound like much, but he’s one of the 27 players to do so.

Nelson has done this despite handling all the responsibilities associated with being a center. And, as mentioned earlier, he struggles with those responsibilities. It’s not a guarantee Nelson would be a good wing. But on paper, he has the right skill set and he can score goals. At worst, it’s worth a try.

A move to wing would also be good for Nelson. It could potentially help him build up his value going into free agency. While centers are generally valued more highly than wings, good wings tend to get paid more than average centers. Nelson is at best an average center. A move to wing could help him earn more money.

It could also be a good thing for the Islanders. While their center depth is lacking, they have enough centers to at least try Nelson out at wing. Especially if Jan Kovar can stick at second-line center. Even if the Islanders decide to retool, if Nelson does well at wing, they could get a solid return for him at the trade deadline. Everyone needs scoring at the deadline.

But let’s say the Islanders are playoff contenders. That works out too. Nelson probably has more value to the Islanders at wing than center. Given his defensive struggles in the past three seasons, it’s worth a try.

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A healthy portion of the best wings in the NHL are failed centers. Nelson could very well be a good wing.

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