In the final hour, the blockbuster of the trade deadline was announced, and it was a big one. The Colorado Avalanche landed Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames for a significant return that featured a first round selection. The headliner of this deal, of course, is Kadri, who was last seen in an Avalanche jersey with the Stanley Cup, so that’s a good place to start.
Kadri in Colorado Makes Too Much Sense
The Avalanche were never the same without Kadri. They’ve needed that top-six center who can move the wing at times and play well on both ends. The hope was that Brock Nelson would fill that void, and while he adds scoring, he doesn’t add physicality and defense to the center position. Kadri does, and it makes the Avalanche, who were already built for a playoff run, the favorites to win the Western Conference.
Avalanche Prove Centers Are a Must For Cup Run
Nathan MacKinnon is the leader and arguably the best center in the NHL. Add Nelson, Jack Drury, and Nicolas Roy, who was acquired earlier in the week from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Avalanche have centers. That said, a great team can never have enough of them, especially great ones like Kadri.
Related: MacKenzie Weegar Traded: Analyzing the Return
The plus is that Kadri can center the second line, and it gives Jared Bednar flexibility. He can move Nelson to the wing or make him the third line center while moving Drury to the wing. The Avalanche have options, something they haven’t had all season and haven’t had since the 2022 run.
Flames Are Leaning All-in on the Rebuild
When teams rebuild, it’s best to do so correctly. That means tearing it down and starting from scratch with prospects and working from there. The MacKenzie Weegar trade earlier in the week was an indicator that the Flames were rebuilding; the Kadri trade is confirmation. Now, the Flames are looking towards the future, which features a great defense and better goaltending but needs more, and is starting to get it.
Flames Are Finally Adding The Right Pieces
The previous deals the Flames made landed them young defensemen. The Rasmus Andersson deal gave them Zach Whitecloud while the Jacob Markstrom trade in the 2024 offseason gave them Kevin Bahl. Both defensemen are playing key roles in the rebuild, even if they were acquired with the intention to retool. Very few of their trades added forward talent to the system.
This deal gets them a first round pick, and the Weegar trade landed them a forward prospect. Throw in the Brennan Othmann trade that they made separately with the New York Rangers, and they are starting to round out their future roster. The Flames were already building from the net out with Dustin Wolf leading them but now they have multiple pieces in the right positions, and things will only look better following the 2026 draft, where they can add a scorer to the system.
The NHL is Better When Kadri is in The Playoffs
The NHL is better when some players are on great teams. Sidney Crosby in the playoffs is something the league has missed for a few years, and hopefully gets back. Other big names like Igor Shesterkin and Jack Hughes are getting the reputation of good players on terrible teams, with their careers going to waste. For a while, it looked like Kadri would end his career on an irrelevant team. Now, he’ll be playing a pivotal role on a playoff team, and fans will be reminded of how good he’s been. Kadri is built for the playoffs, and the Avalanche benefit the most from having him back in their lineup.
