The Colorado Avalanche were one of the winners at the NHL Trade Deadline. After a trade for Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames was reported to have been blocked, a shocking last-minute trade sending Kadri to the Avalanche was reported.
Now it is being reported that fans were not the only ones surprised by the deal, but Kadri was as well, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
Kadria and his wife, Ashley, were in their living room as the 3 pm ET trade deadline passed. They had been waiting for news on whether Kadri would be traded or not, watching deadline coverage, speaking to his agent, and refreshing X. Then, the notification from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet appeared on Ashley's phone.
“Oh my God!” she shouted, reading aloud. “Nazem Kadri back to the Colorado Avalanche!”
Then, Kadri got the call from Flames GM Craig Conroy, confirming the deal.
“I think my head almost hit the ceiling,” Kadri said. “I was so excited.”
Kadri should be excited to head back to Colorado. He had the best season of his entire NHL career with them back in 2021-22. That year, he found the back of the net 28 times while also adding 59 assists. Further, he had 15 points in the playoffs, on his way to lifting the Stanley Cup.
On Sunday, he returned to the ice in an Avalanche jersey for the first time since lifting the Cup. He played 21:47 on ice time in the game against the Minnesota Wild and got the assist on a Nathan MacKinnon goal in the second period. The Avalanche would go on to win the game, 3-2, in a shootout.
“I’ve been here a short while and I think we’ve got what it takes,” the 35-year-old said.
The Avalanche are 43-10-9 on the season, which gives them the best record in the NHL. They will return to the ice on Tuesday night to face the Edmonton Oilers.
