CASTLE PINES — Brock Nelson was tempted to take a look around, but ultimately decided he had already found his new home.
Nelson could have been the top center available when the free-agent market opened July 1. Given that the salary cap ceiling increased more than in the past five years combined, with more big jumps coming in the next two offseasons, there might have been a chance to set off a bidding war for his services.
Instead, the 33-year-old made his decision well in advance of that, signing a three-year, $22.5 million contract June 4 with the Avalanche.