The Colorado Avalanche have been in the rumor mill as of late, as everybody is talking about what they can do to make the team better as we slowly but surely approach the 2026 trade deadline. One of the hot names in discussions is Flames forward Nazem Kadri. Will the Avs make a play for him?
My prediction is no. The Avalanche are rolling this year, having a 34-5-8 record with a league-leading (and dominating) 76 points. They have unfortunately had to deal with some adversity as of late, with injuries to a couple of key players, but still are doing well enough to maintain that spot at the top.
Kadri had an okay first two years with the Avalanche in 2019-20 and 2020-21, having played 107 games and recording 30 goals and 68 assists. His third season with the team saw him exceed those numbers, recording 28 goals and 59 assists. He also had his second-best plus/minus of his career in that season with +13.
The major issue with the Avalanche acquiring Kadri’s rights is the salary cap. He has a cap hit of $7 million, while the Avalanche have just $4.19 million in current cap space and projected cap space of $1.87 million. With that in mind, the Avs would have to ship out somebody with a similar cap hit to make it work. If the Avalanche were to make a trade utilizing someone like Brock Nelson, they would lose just $579k worth of cap space, while the Flames would lose $1.521 million. It would leave the Avalanche with $1.615M in projected cap space and $3.606M in current cap space.
So, the money does work out. However, it’s not all about the money. You have to ask the question, does adding Kadri while subtracting Nelson make the team better?
Here’s the thing: Sure, Kadri had a solid season with the Avalanche during the team’s Stanley Cup run. One of the issues for me is that he is 34 years old and has a cap hit of $7.5 million over three years remaining on his current contract. I suppose the same could be said about Nelson and his potential decline, but the money works out better for the Avalanche if they keep him as opposed to acquiring Kadri, even if it’s just by a little bit.
Another thing to think about is Kadri’s role on the team. The top line consists of Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Martin Necas. Kadri isn’t going to unseat MacKinnon.
As for the second line, if Nelson were to be traded, perhaps Ross Colton would jump into the 2C spot, taking away another area for Kadri. That leaves the third line as a possibility in hypothetical terms. The issue is that Kadri isn’t going to want to play that low on the roster. He’s a top-six type of player, so that means that there is no room for him with the Avs.
Chemistry is one of the most important keys on any sports team. Kadri might not feel like he fits in on a third line. He’ll want the most playing time he can get, and that’s not in Colorado.