If Nazem Kadri would have had his way, he would never have left the Toronto Maple Leafs. But, he was too costly to play as a third-line center behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares, and he had too much trade value to keep when the Maple Leafs needed so much.
So, after rejecting a trade to the Calgary Flames, Kadri saw the writing on the wall and gave his permission to be moved to the Colorado Avalanche. Now, a year later, given that his former team has left the bubble and his current team has moved on to round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I have to wonder how Kadri feels about the trade.
An Injury-Shortened and a COVID-19-Lengthened Season
When Kadri hit Colorado, he began to play second-line minutes and the results were showing. He was having better than average regular-season points success and would have scored close to 50 points by the end of the season. However, Kadri sustained a serious lower-body injury in early February in a game against the Minnesota Wild. At the time of his injury, he had scored 19 goals and 36 points in 51 games.
During any regular season, that injury would have caused him to miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season. However, this season isn’t a regular anything, and COVID-19 intervened. After an almost five-month layoff from hockey, the NHL was playing again. So too was Kardi.
Kadri’s Successful Postseason – So Far
So, after the long break and with the return of the NHL postseason, Kadri was healed and ready to play. During round one of the playoffs, the Avalanche disposed of the Arizona Coyotes quite handily. In Game 1, Kadri scored the game-winning goal in his team’s 3-0 victory over the Coyotes.
The Avalanche, a team that has a good chance to go far this postseason, dominated the Coyotes. However, goalie Darcy Kuemper held the Avalanche scoreless for 53 minutes. Finally, Kadri scored a power-play goal, and the Avalanche erupted for two more goals during the next two minutes. That goal was Kadri’s second goal of five points during four postseason games.
Kadri then scored two goals and added an assist in his team’s 7-1 win over the Coyotes in Game 4. Both goals came on first-period power plays and took less than four minutes to score. When he added a second-period assist, Kadri had four goals and nine points scored in seven postseason games.
The Avalanche disposed of the Coyotes for good by winning another 7-1 contest during Game 5. Kadri scored two goals yet again. Not surprisingly, he scored on another power play. His goal was assisted by both Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. Late in the first period, Kadri scored his second goal when the Coyotes had a miscommunication and he broke in alone to put the puck past Kuemper.
What’s Next for Kadri?
So far Kadri’s had a great first postseason with the Avalanche and has added value to the team. Instead of being one of the best third-line centers in the NHL, he’s now playing regular top-six minutes – mostly as the second-line center.
His totals during the first-round playoff series were six goals and five assists (for 11 points) after eight games. It’s unlikely the Avalanche can keep up their prodigious scoring pace against the Dallas Stars, the team they meet next. The Stars are an elite defensive team.
However, for Maple Leafs who choose to root for one of their own – even if he no longer plays for the team, it’s time to be happy for Kadri. I for one and pleased he’s found a second home in Denver with the Avalanche. I wish him well.
The post Ex-Maple Leafs Nazem Kadri Tearing It Up with Avalanche appeared first on NHL Trade Talk - Hockey Trades and Rumors.
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