The Avalanche are in the market for another centerman to round out their third line, and according to a report on Tuesday from TSN’s Darren Dreger, it seems like Avs general manager Chris MacFarland could be big-name hunting to fill that role.

Nazem Kadri, in his fourth year with the Calgary Flames, could be on the move. Colorado is one of the teams that could have interest in the centerman, according to Dreger.

Now 35 years old, Kadri has not appeared in a playoff game since winning the Stanley Cup with the Avs in 2022. He has been in the rumor mill for several years now, given the direction the Flames are going.

Each time his name was mentioned, it was also noted that he has enjoyed his time in Calgary, and the player and team are in no rush to move on from each other. That’s the case again.

But here’s what Dreger had to say on the matter during a segment of TSN’s Insider Trading.

“Nazem Kadri wants to do what’s best for the Calgary Flames. But guys, he also wants to chase and win a Stanley Cup,” Dreger said. “I would say there’s developing interest. There’s some tire-kicking from Toronto, Montreal, Colorado, L.A., maybe the Dallas Stars. But there’s still a lot of work to get done and there’s no rush as far as Calgary is concerned.”

My Thoughts

The Avs were not the same team for three years after winning the Stanley Cup and one of the biggest reasons why was because Kadri departed in free agency.

With that being said, Bringing Kadri back to Colorado made more sense 12 months ago than it does now. Following the hefty price MacFarland paid for Brock Nelson, and the incredible season Nelson is having as the 2C, bringing in Kadri to fill a third-line role would be a luxury more than a necessity at this point.

The Avs are limited on assets and salary cap space. If Kadri was their target, it would require creativity from MacFarland. He’s been able to maneuver with limited space for several years and has done an excellent job of setting the Avalanche up for a long run this spring. Re-acquring Kadri would need to be some of his best work yet.

The trade deadline is six weeks from Friday, and it’s likely the Avs are going to be aggressive to upgrade their roster, just as they’ve been in three of the last four years.

Colorado has also been linked to superstar winger Artemi Panarin.


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