The Colorado Avalanche pulled off one of the biggest deals on trade deadline day, and it’s a familiar face.
Nazem Kadri, who helped the Avs win the Stanley Cup in 2022, is returning to Colorado, according to multiple reports, in a trade from the Calgary Flames. Kadri signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with Calgary in August 2022.
The 35-year-old Kadri has three years remaining on his deal after this one with a cap hit of $7 million. Kadri has 12 goals and 41 points in 61 games for the Flames this season. He’s led Calgary in scoring each of the previous two seasons.
“Super excited,” Kadri said on TSN’s TradeCentre 2026 show. “The team at the very top of my list. Man, I can’t wait.”
The NHL’s trade deadline is at 1 p.m. MT, but deals can be announced later in the day as long as they were logged in the queue with the league office before that.
Kadri was the Avs’ No. 2 center from 2019-22. He had a career-high 87 points for Colorado during the 2021-22 season, plus seven goals and 15 points in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Avalanche to its third championship in franchise history.
Colorado traded for another center, Nicolas Roy, the day before from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just like last season, the Avs made a second swap on deadline day at the position. Last year, the Avs added Brock Nelson and then Charlie Coyle a day later just before the deadline.
More on this story as it develops.
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