The NHL trade deadline is right at the doorstep, and front offices around the league are feeling the pressure to arrive at critical decisions surrounding their tradeable assets quickly. The Calgary Flames must decide on the fate of a veteran forward. While the Colorado Avalanche seems to have the interest and means to help them out, there is some ground for contention.
One Reason Why the Colorado Avalanche-Calgary Flames for Nazem Kadri Hasn’t Happened Yet
For the Flames, the 2025-26 season has been unremarkable from the very beginning. As the NHL began its March campaign, Calgary showed no signs of a resurgence, losing two consecutive matches. It goes without saying that this is the ideal condition for trade rumours to pick up pace. Nazem Kadri is one name that has dominated the rumour mill for a while now, and the community is wondering if a closure is around the corner.
Despite his age and a relatively underwhelming performance this season, Kadri has attracted interest from teams across the league. Among other potential destinations, the Avalanche, with which the Kadri has spent three seasons and won a Stanley Cup, has signalled interest in the veteran forward.
Kadri is in the fourth year of his seven-year, $49 million contract with the Flames. Ideally, the Avalanche would want Calgary to retain a portion of Kadri’s $7 million salary, which could be unacceptable for the Flames.
“But will the Flames be forced to retain some of his $7 million AAV if they want to let him go? That’s being explored, but it’s not something Calgary wants to do,” Nick Kypreos noted, writing for Sportsnet.
Salary retention could play a decisive role in how this potential trade fares. While Colorado could, in theory, make it work even without the Flames retaining anything at all, the benefits of a lowered cap hit are not lost on anyone. Of course, as Kypreos further explained, the Flames’ return could also affect their motivation to retain.
“However, the price on Kadri will be dependent on Calgary’s ability to retain. Colorado could make it work at full value, but would prefer the flexibility of a lowered-cap hit. The Flames have to consider how much better the return would be by retaining money,” the insider noted.Â
Kadri has a 13-team no-trade list, meaning he does enjoy some control over where he eventually lands. The veteran might be interested in playing for Colorado, given his familiarity with the team and the Avs’Â high odds of winning the Cup this time around.
