Wednesday witnessed the Colorado Avalanche answer their biggest offseason question by re-signing center Brock Nelson to a three-year contract, with a source telling ESPN the deal is worth $7.5 million annually.

Nelson’s future had been in question ever since he arrived in a March 9 trade from the New York Islanders. Although he filled the Avalanche’s second-line center void in the interim, Nelson was a pending unrestricted free agent who was expected to be one of the most coveted players in free agency on July 1.

Instead, the 33-year-old Nelson, who had six goals and 13 points in 19 games, will remain with an Avalanche franchise that will seek to win its second Stanley Cup since 2022.

“We’re thrilled to have reached an agreement with Brock to keep him in Colorado for the next three seasons,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “He’s been a great center in this league for a long time, and he brings professionalism and a dedicated work ethic on and off the ice. We think he’s a great fit and is a stabilizing presence to our second-line center role with his size and ability to touch all areas of the ice.”

Getting a new deal done with Nelson is the latest entry in what’s become a near-annual challenge for the Avalanche when it comes to solidifying a second-line center. Nazem Kadri, who was part of their title-winning team, left in free agency to sign with the Calgary Flames. That turned into the Avs going through a revolving door of second-line centers that saw several players attempt to fill that void with the front office making a trade to get All-Star Ryan Johansen prior to the 2023-24 season.

Johansen struggled in Denver, which led to the team trading him ahead of the deadline and acquiring Casey Mittlestadt from the Buffalo Sabres. Mittlestadt scored four goals and 10 points in 18 regular-season games before finishing with nine points in 11 playoff games. He signed a three-year deal last June worth $5.575 million to give the Avs a then-25-year-old second-line center for now and the future.

Mittelstadt would struggle during his first full season in Colorado, which saw him fall further down the depth chart. It prompted the Avs to make a trade for Nelson before eventually moving Mittlestadt in a trade with the Boston Bruins that saw them get Charlie Coyle.

Enter Nelson. A nine-time 20-goal scorer, Nelson was one of the most consistent players the Islanders cultivated with a farm system that has produced several players, including Avs defenseman Devon Toews, who arrived in a 2020 trade and would form one of the league’s strongest defensive tandems with 2020 Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar.

Having Nelson also gives the Avalanche what might be one of the strongest top-nine center setups in the NHL, led by reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon on the top line while Coyle operates at third-line center.

PuckPedia projects that the Avalanche will now have $1.2 million left in free agency to address their roster concerns.

Like many of their peers in a championship window, the Avs have most of their core signed to long-term deals. Nelson now one of eight players who have three or more years remaining on their current contracts.

The Avalanche have a six-player UFA class that’s led by forward Jonathan Drouin and defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Drouin, who had signed consecutive one-year deals with the Avalanche starting in 2023, scored 11 goals and 37 points in 43 games. A year earlier, he scored 19 goals and finished with a career-high 56 points.

As for Lindgren, he was also a trade deadline addition in a deal the Avs made with the New York Rangers. Lindgren had three points in 18 games while logging 18:59 in ice time per game with the Avs in a top-four role that also provided them with another penalty killer.

It’s possible that the Avalanche could use trades to create more cap flexibility while playing in a Central Division that saw five teams make the postseason with a sixth, the Utah Hockey Club, finished seven points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot.