The Avalanche will not have to spend their offseason searching for a second-line center.

Colorado on Wednesday announced it signed 33-year-old center Brock Nelson to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2027-28 season. Nelson was acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Islanders in exchange for top prospect Calum Ritchie, a first-round draft pick in 2026 and a conditional third-round pick in 2028.

Nelson will turn 34 at the start of the 2025-26 regular season.

“My family and I are excited to be staying in Colorado,” Nelson said Wednesday. “Having spent my entire career with one organization, we weren’t totally sure what to expect when we arrived in Denver. But getting the opportunity to play for the Avalanche, to compete with a great group of teammates in that locker room, and in front of the tremendous fans at Ball Arena, we knew this was where we wanted to stay.”

The contract carries a cap hit of $7.5 million per season, according to various NHL insiders, which means the Avalanche must make some moves to get under the cap. Locking down a second-line center was a necessity for the organization.

In 19 regular-season games with Colorado, Nelson produced 13 points, including six goals. He went the entire series against the Dallas Stars without scoring a goal but was dangerous when put on a line with Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin. The trio controlled 63% of the shot attempts when they were on the ice together. Nelson was the only player on the roster to register over 10 shots on net with zero goals.

With Nelson locked down, the Avalanche are set down the middle unless they choose to make some changes this summer.