Colorado Avalanche Reacquire Stanley Cup Hero Nazem Kadri from Calgary

The Colorado Avalanche have traded to bring back center Nazem Kadri, who helped the team win the 2022 Stanley Cup championship. Calgary received forward Victor Olofsson and two conditional draft picks in exchange for the 35-year-old, who leads the Flames in scoring this season.

The Colorado Avalanche welcomed back a familiar face Friday when they acquired center Nazem Kadri through a trade with the Calgary Flames, reuniting with the veteran who played a crucial role in their 2022 Stanley Cup championship run.

In exchange for Kadri, Calgary received forward Victor Olofsson, unsigned prospect Max Curran’s rights, and two conditional draft selections – a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick. The Flames also sent a 2027 fourth-round selection to Colorado as part of the deal.

According to Sportsnet, Calgary has agreed to cover 20% of Kadri’s remaining contract value to facilitate the transaction.

The 35-year-old forward leaves Calgary as their top point producer this season, recording 41 points through 61 games with 12 goals and 29 assists.

Colorado currently sits atop the NHL standings, leading the league in both offensive production and defensive play, while Calgary finds itself tied for 30th place entering Friday’s action.

“Obviously super excited,” Kadri shared with TSN on Friday. “You know, a team at the very top of my list. Man, I can’t wait.”

Following Colorado’s championship victory in 2022, Kadri inked a seven-year, $49 million deal with Calgary. During that memorable playoff campaign, he contributed seven goals and 15 total points across 16 postseason contests.

His finest regular season performance came with the 2021-22 Avalanche squad, where he established personal bests with 87 points on 28 goals and 59 assists during their title-winning campaign.

Throughout his NHL career spanning 1,046 regular season games, Kadri has accumulated 319 goals and 751 points while playing for Calgary, Colorado, and Toronto. The Maple Leafs selected him seventh overall in the 2009 draft before trading him to the Avalanche in 2019.

Olofsson, age 30, contributed 11 goals and 25 points in 60 appearances for Colorado this season after signing a one-year, $1.575 million deal last August.

The Swedish forward brings 430 games of NHL experience from his time with Buffalo, Vegas, and Colorado, totaling 116 goals and 236 points throughout his career.