The Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Nazem Kadri and a 2027 fourth-round pick from the Calgary Flames on March 6, 2026, ahead of the NHL trade deadline. In exchange, the Flames received forward Victor Olofsson, the rights to unsigned prospect Max Curran, a conditional 2028 first-round pick, and a conditional 2027 second-round pick, while retaining 20 percent of Kadri's salary. Kadri returns to the team where he won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
The trade reunites 35-year-old Kadri with the Avalanche, where he previously played from 2019 to 2022 and recorded 155 points in 178 regular-season games. This season with the Flames, Kadri has tallied 41 points, including 12 goals and 29 assists, in 61 games, leading Calgary in points, assists, power-play points, and shots on goal with 175. He is in the fourth year of a seven-year, $49 million contract signed on August 18, 2022, with an average annual value of $7 million.
Kadri, selected seventh overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2009 NHL Draft, has amassed 751 career points (319 goals, 432 assists) in 1,046 regular-season games across Toronto, Colorado, and Calgary. In the playoffs, he has 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 52 games, highlighted by his 2022 Stanley Cup win with the Avalanche, where he contributed 15 points in 16 games despite injuries, including two game-winning goals.
"Obviously super excited," Kadri told TSN. "You know, a team at the very top of my list. Man, I can't wait." Flames general manager Craig Conroy noted, "Nazem's one of those guys that you really like. He was great through the whole process, too. For him to actually be able to go back to Colorado, I think it's kind of a dream come true probably for him. For us, we knew where we're going and with his age, this is something we needed to do."
The Avalanche, holding a league-leading record of 41-10-9 and six points ahead of the Dallas Stars in the Central Division, bolster their center depth with Kadri joining Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, and Nicolas Roy. Colorado recently acquired Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs and defenseman Nick Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators.
The Flames, sitting 15th in the Western Conference at 24-30-7 and 12 points out of a wild-card spot, continue their rebuild by adding draft assets—they now have six first-round picks over the next three seasons—and prospects. Olofsson, 30, has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 60 games this season after signing a one-year, $1.575 million deal with Colorado on August 20, 2025. Curran, a 19-year-old forward drafted 161st overall by the Avalanche in 2024, has 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 31 Western Hockey League games with the Edmonton Oil Kings and earned a silver medal with Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Conroy emphasized the focus on acquiring assets: "The whole thing is to get back in the playoffs, to get going in the right direction and have these assets and the picks." The Flames also acquired forward Ryan Strome from the Anaheim Ducks and Brennan Othmann from the New York Rangers on the same day.
