Fans will always have a soft spot for Nazem Kadri. Everything he had to go through during the St. Louis series in 2022 and the hat-trick in St. Louis after the threats. Or his Game Four win over in Tampa. Kadri will forever hold a place in many fans’ hearts. But should the Colorado Avalanche make a trade to bring him back to Denver?

Kadri would be buried

The current lineup suggests Kadri centers the third line. Brock Nelson will keep his spot on the second line, with Nathan MacKinnon continuing on the first. This would limit Kadri’s ice time to 14 minutes per game. Thus, making his $7 million cap hit an overpayment. He could join the second power-play unit for more ice time, though that unit rarely plays, anyway. This would push Jack Drury down to the fourth line. Drury is on pace to have his best year in the NHL since 2023–24.

Numbers are down

Since Kadri left the Avalanche for free agency, he has had two fantastic years. He scored a career-high 35 goals last season and 28 the season before. He has scored only nine goals in 48 games this year and is projected for only six more. The main thing that is concerning is that Kadri is shooting at 6.4 percent (career average is 10.8). This is his lowest shooting percentage since 2010–11 with the Toronto Maple Leafs (5.9). Despite Kadri’s attempts, his shots lack accuracy right now.

Assets on the move

Kadri would come with a price tag if Calgary wanted to move him to Colorado. I would assume that they would want an NHL-ready forward to take his place, plus some assets to come with it. The only player that I would move off the Avalanche roster at the moment would be Ross Colton. He carries a $4 million cap hit, but he also has a 12-team modified no-movement clause. Colorado is just building its assets back up from the Stanley Cup run, but many of them are on one-year contracts. The newly acquired Valtteri Puustinen could be a good option to move, as he would help reinforce the Calgary Wranglers along with a late-round pick.

With Nazem Kadri, the Colorado Avalanche may be better off not trading for him. In the long run, Colorado would end up with a higher salary cap and a player that may or may not improve on a career-low season. They would probably have to give up assets that they have just now started building back up and made the Colorado Eagles competitive as well. It would not benefit the player or the team in this case.