Nazem Kadri was traded back to the Colorado Avalanche by the Calgary Flames on Friday.
The Flames received forward Victor Olofsson, unsigned forward prospect Maxmilian Curran, a conditional first-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft and a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Colorado also received a fourth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
“Obviously super excited,” Kadri told TSN. “You know, a team at the very top of my list. Man, I can’t wait.”
The 35-year-old forward has 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 61 games for the Flames this season. He is in the fourth season of a seven-year, $49 million contract ($7 million average annual value) he signed with the Flames on Aug. 18, 2022; Calgary retained 20 percent of his remaining salary.
Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round (No. 7) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Kadri has 751 points (319 goals, 432 assists) in 1,046 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and Flames.
He has 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 52 Stanley Cup Playoff games and won the Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
“One minute you think you’re out the door, and the next minute you think you’re staying, and the next minute you think you’re out, and you’re staying again. It’s a lot of flip-flopping,” Kadri said. “These deals aren’t easy to come by. You have to have two working parties. At the end of the day I found out pretty late and I was excited, to say the least.”
Colorado (41-10-9) is first in the NHL standings and six points ahead of the Dallas Stars in the Central Division. The Avalanche visit the Stars on Friday (8 p.m. ET; Victory+, ALT).
“I mean, is this real?” Kadri said. “For me, it’s a very exciting situation. I mean, first and foremost, I’ve got to thank the Calgary Flames and how they handled business and how they treated a veteran player and found every way possible to try to make this connection for me. Without them this couldn’t be possible, and there’s no doubt in my mind in a couple years the Calgary Flames are going to be a popular destination to play in. You know, I just can’t wait to get to work and see my buddies.”
The Flames (24-30-7) are 15th in the Western Conference, 12 points behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card.
Olofsson has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 60 games with Colorado this season. He signed a one-year, $1.575 million contract with the Avalanche on Aug. 20, 2025, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Curran, a 19-year-old forward, was selected by Colorado in the fifth round (No. 161) of the 2024 NHL Draft, has 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 31 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League this season.
The Avalanche also acquired forward Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday for a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and defenseman Nick Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
Calgary also acquired forward Ryan Strome from the Anaheim Ducks on Friday for a seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft. The 32-year-old has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 33 games this season.
Strome is in the fourth year of a five-year, $25 million contract ($5 million average annual value) and can become an UFA after next season.
Selected by the New York Islanders with the No. 5 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Strome has 489 points (169 goals, 320 assists) in 897 regular-season games for the Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Ducks and 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 37 playoff games.
