New York Islanders: Just How Good is Brock Nelson?

New York Islanders’ centerman Brock Nelson has showcased over his seven years in the NHL that he can be a difference-maker on the ice every shift.

Brock Nelson has by far the quickest release on this New York Islanders hockey club, but at times hesitates to let the puck go. Early on in his career, this was a glaring issue as he would either pass up a perfect shot opportunity or take that extra second, leading to a blocked shot or a turnover.

Twice in seven years, Nelson has failed to hit the 20-goal plateau, with 14 goals in 2013-14 (rookie season) and 19 goals in a down year that was 2017-18.

But after that down year, Nelson got back to his scoring ways. From 2018 to now, Nelson has lit the lamp 51 times, with 56 assists, equaling out to 111 points in 150 games. This season, he set career-highs in points with 54 (26G, 28A) and in the faceoff dot winning 51.8 percent of his draws.

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He saw himself score at a 14.9 percent mark, the second-highest mark of his career. This all coming in a career-high 18:52 minutes of ice time per game. If it wasn’t for the stoppage in play and the move right into the Playoffs, Nelson would have set new career highs in goals and assists.

But, despite the strong statistics, Nelson has always been a streaky player throughout his career, something that fails to appear on the scoresheet.

This past season, which was cut short, Nelson had four streaks of six or more games without recording a goal. He even went 10 games without scoring, from October 24 until Novembder 19, before scoring four goals over his next two.

In the 68 games played, Nelson was held off the scoreboard entirely in 31 games, failing to score a goal in 30 of them. Breaking this down, Nelson failed to register a point in 45.6 percent of his team’s games and was goal-less in 44.11 percent of them.

He never scored in three straight games but did score in back-to-back games four times.

In his draft year of 2010, Nelson was the last pick of the First Round, going 30th to the Islanders. A player that possesses a similar skillset to Nelson is winger Tyler Toffoli, who was drafted 47th overall that same year. Both have been solid offensive weapons, with Toffoli edging out his fellow draftee by a three percent margin in offensive production over their careers. Toffoli averaged a point in around 57 percent of his games, while Nelson came in at just under 54 percent.

To continue the comparison, let’s break down what Toffoli did this season. In a season in which he scored 24 goals with 20 assists, he was held off the scoreboard entirely in 36 games. He failed to score a goal in 48 of his team’s 68 games, at one point going nine games without one entering the net.

When you think of Toffoli, you think of him as a consistent offensive threat, a wanted player by many teams. But the Vancouver Canucks would win the sweepstakes, acquiring him on Febuary 17. Looking at the entirety of the season, split between the struggling Los Angeles Kings and the competitive Canucks, he was held without a goal in 71 percent of the games, failing to record a point in just under 60 percent of the games in which he played. However, he registered 10 points in 10 games with the Canucks, before recording four points in seven games during the postseason.

Again, Nelson was held off the scoreboard in 45.6 percent of his team’s games. So despite being streaky, he was still rather effective.

This past season, the Islanders scored 189 goals as a team, with Nelson scoring 13.7 percent of the goals and contributing to 28.57 percent when including his assists as well.

To put that in perspective, let’s do another comparison. The New York Rangers scored 233 goals this season, 44 more goals than their rivals. Second-line centerman Ryan Strome, scored 18 goals, contributing to 7.7 percent of his team’s total goals, totaling a contribution percentage of 25.32. As stated above, Nelson’s offensive contribution totaled to 28.57 percent. Nelson’s goals, and assists, were more meaningful to the Islanders than Strome’s were to the Rangers.

One could say that Nelson’s offensive contributions were ultra-impressive and more deserving of attention from players and coaches around the league.

Maybe the streakiness can be associated with being on a line consisting of streaky players as well, with Josh Bailey to his right and Anthony Beauvillier to his left. Having guys around you that struggle to be consistent will no doubt impact your play.

Now when it matters the most, Nelson and his linemates were red hot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nelson scored nine times, picking up nine assists for a total of 18 points in 22 playoff games. He scored in back-to-back contests three times over that span, being held off the scoresheet no more than two games in a row before leaving his mark yet again.

Beauvillier scored nine times with five assists, with Bailey picking up two goals and a jaw-dropping 18 assists. This line carried the team in the Playoffs for the most part. The team as a whole scored 66 goals, with the second line scoring 20 of them, good for 30.30 percent.

So just how good is Nelson? He led the Islanders with 26 goals, was third on the team in assists, and was second in scoring behind Mathew Barzal during the 68-game regular season. His point production was better than that of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Taylor Hall, and Tyler Seguin this past year.

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If Nelson could find a way to be more consistent, the sky is the limit for the now 29-year old. But streaky or not, Brock Nelson is that good and is a major piece of this New York Islanders offense.

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