DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri will no longer be in burgundy and blue after an extensive wait to see where he ended up as a free agent.
Kadri is going to the Calgary Flames who finished with eight fewer points than the Avalanche and had a busy offseason swapping star forwards with the Florida Panthers. Former Flames left-winger Matthew Tkachuk moved to sunny South Florida while Jonathan Huberdeau traded his flip-flops for snow boots to head to Alberta.
The biggest move the Flames made was losing Jonny Gaudreau to the Columbus Blue Jackets and now the leadership roles for the team are in question. Kadri brings experience to the locker room and coming off a Stanley Cup-winning season, that competitive edge the Flames are looking to fill.
Kadri signed a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Flames averaging $7 million per year.
The Avalanche face off against the Flames for Calgary’s home opener on Oct. 13, the day after the Avs home opener where the Stanley Cup banner will be raised.
In 16 Stanley Cup playoff games, the 31-year-old scored 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists), and most notably, the Game 4 overtime game-winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in his first game back after suffering a broken thumb.
Kadri had a career-high season notching 28 goals and 59 assists for a total of 87 points in 71 regular season games. Twenty-nine of those points came on the power play.
Who stayed, and who moved on?
The Avs locked in Valeri Nichushkin for the next eight years. Defenseman Josh Manson re-signed for another four years to a contract worth $18 million. Forward Darren Helm signed a one-year contract with the Avalanche. Colorado inked forward Artturi Lehkonen to a five-year contract through the 2026-27 season worth $4.5 million per year.
Colorado said goodbye to goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract with the Washington Capitals. Nicolas Aube-Kubel signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Andre Burakovsky signed a five-year deal with the Seattle Kraken. Defenseman Jack Johnson signed with the Chicago Blackhawks this week.