The list of American centermen who No. 29 has outscored over that period, by the way, includes Dylan Larkin, Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck — all of whom have had an easier time finding their way into this conversation. No matter.

Nelson scored two goals on five shots while posting a plus-3 rating in Monday's 6-2 win over the Avalanche. Nelson opened his 2024-25 scoring tally with back-to-back goals in the second period over a three-minute span,