The trade of Valeri Nichushkin earlier this offseason by the Colorado Avalanche to the Columbus Blue Jackets invariably opened up a long-sealed can of worms.
The Nichushkin trade, coupled with the re-acquisition of Nazem Kadri at the NHL trade deadline last season, led to a reflection on the decision the organization made in 2022.
The Avalanche signed Nichushkin instead of Kadri.
Following the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup win, both Nichushkin and Kadri were UFAs. Kadri had seemingly priced himself out of Colorado. His tremendous performances since joining the Avalanche made him a hot commodity at the time. The Avalanche and Kadri wanted to remain together. But the numbers just didn’t work out.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche wanted to keep another playoff hero in Nichushkin. He wasn’t going to cost peanuts. But it seemed his numbers were more manageable for the Avalanche.
In the end, Kadri signed with the Calgary Flames for seven years at $7 million per season. Nichushkin, for his part, signed for eight years at $6.125 million. Both players had identical total values: $49 million. The difference was that the extra year on Nichushkin’s deal allowed the Avalanche to keep the cap hit a bit lower.
Nichushkin, and his checkered history, including a lengthy suspension, seemed to sour the contract somewhat. While his production was in line with his career totals, Nichushkin couldn’t elevate his postseason performance to his glorious past.
As for Kadri, the Avalanche never really recovered from losing their second-line center. The club tried numerous options until Brock Nelson solidified the position. Yet, the Avs wanted to bring back the intangibles they lost when Kadri departed.
In short, had Colorado kept Kadri and not Nichushkin, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It would have been easier in a way to replace Nichuskin. A scoring winger would have been easier to acquire than a second-line center.
It’s also debatable as to whether the Avalanche would have already won another Cup. Perhaps Kadri would have been the piece that could have pushed the club into contention.
I would even venture further as to say that with Kadri in the hold, the Casey Mittelstadt trade would have never happened. Even if Colorado traded Bowen Byran anyway, the piece in return could have been completely different.
Next season, we’ll actually have a chance to see how the Avalanche will fare by having Kadri instead of Nichushkin. Of course, the circumstances are quite different. But if Colorado can make it to the Stanley Cup Final at least, the narrative could drastically change for this still controversial decision.
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