DENVER, Colo. — It turns out you can go home again. After multiple reports that the Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames couldn’t reach a trade agreement this week, both sides finalized a deal just before Friday’s deadline that brings Nazem Kadri back to the Avalanche.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, the Calgary Flames will retain 20% of Kadri’s contract, meaning he’ll carry a $5.6 million cap hit for the remainder of his contract with the Avalanche.
Colorado will also receive a 2027 fourth-round pick from Calgary. In return, the Avalanche will send a conditional 2028 first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick, winger Victor Olofsson, and prospect Max Curran to the Flames.
The 35-year-old center, who spent three seasons in Colorado and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2022, left via free agency that summer to join the Flames, as the Avalanche were hit with a cap crunch.
The reported reason for a potential trade falling apart earlier this week had to do with retention, as the Flames were unwilling to retain any money over the final three years of Kadri’s deal. Both sides kept at it until the deadline and eventually reached an agreement.
In 61 games this season, Kadri has 12 goals and 41 points for the Flames.
He has scored 20 goals each of the last four seasons, but is currently having one of the worst shooting seasons of his career, as just 6.9% of his shots have found the back of the net. Kadri’s career shooting percentage is 10.8%.
The addition of Kadri would give the Avalanche incredible depth down the middle, as Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals and Brock Nelson already has 30 on the year.
Earlier this week, they added 6-foot-4 Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs on top of already having Jack Drury, so the addition of Kadri would make them deeper than ever down the middle.
Jared Bednar noted on Friday that Roy has played the wing in Vegas before, so it’s possible he could shift over.
Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland is schedule to speak with the media later on Friday to discuss the moves he made prior to the deadline.
The Gazette's Evan Rawal contributed to this web story.
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