Just hours after a deal for Nazem Kadri came and went, it appears the dream is coming true for the Colorado Avalanche and their fans: he’s back. Kadri is back in the Mile High City right as the deadline came to a close.


After trading for Nicolas Roy, the Kadri dream seemed to be dead in the water. However, the clearing of cap space from the trade of Sam Girard seemed like a move for the fan-favorite could happen.

Kadri’s impact

Now it is a reality. Even in a down year for the Flames, Kadri has been an excellent first-line center in Calgary. In 61 games, he’s scored 12 goals and put up 29 assists in 41 games.


He returns to Denver after a three-year stint. He started his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he had a tumultuous tenure. In his three years in the Mile High City, he scored 58 goals and 97 assists in 178 regular-season games.


His best career year came in the final year en route to the Stanley Cup, where he put up 28 goals and 59 assists. In 33 playoff games with the Avs, he scored 16 goals and notched 18 assists.

Kadri came up in the clutch in Game Four against the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime. Just weeks after breaking his hand, in his first game back, he put the Avalanche on the brink of the Stanley Cup.

The return

Of course, bringing in a big name at the deadline meant giving up a lot in return. After initially refusing to retain, Calgary ownership will eat 20% of his cap hit. Out of his $7 million deal, it means Colorado will pay him $5.6 million over the next three years.

Initial reports show the Avalanche giving up its 2028 conditional first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick, Victor Olofsson, and Max Curran. The Avs have no picks in the first three rounds in the next three years.


Meanwhile, Curran was unsigned by the Avs. The Flames will simply obtain his rights. Meanwhile, Olofsson’s time in Colorado is short and sweet. He ends with 11 goals and 14 assists.

Nonetheless, this move for Kadri seemingly didn’t take as much as it could have. Reports had surfaced that Valeri Nichushkin could have been moved. Now, he will get to reunite with his former linemate.

The deal is huge for the Avalanche and their fans. The real push for the Stanley Cup begins now with the band back together in what will be a tough run ahead.