Nazem Kadri throws shade at Avalanche management as Rantanen keeps rolling

Nazem Kadri chimed in on the Avalanche's decision to not sign Mikko Rantanen to a contract extension as the star winger continued his dominance in the postseason

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

May 12, 2025, 9:23 AM

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Mikko Rantanen has continued to make the pain worse for Avalanche fans as he continues to pile up the points for the Dallas Stars in the postseason. With 17 points in his last six games, including another hat trick after he tallied one in the third period of Game 7 against Colorado, he has been playing his best hockey, while Avalanche fans at home have been shaking their heads.

Rantanen had three more points for Dallas in a 5-2 win on Sunday over the Winnipeg Jets with a goal and two assists. While he was on another heater, a former fan-favorite Avalanche player made the pain even worse for Avs faithful.

Rule number one : You always keep the dawgs … #96

— Nazem Kadri (@43_Kadri) May 11, 2025

Kadri spent three years in Colorado with his last being the year the team won its third Stanley Cup. He tallied a career-high in points in 2022 with 87 as his production took a massive leap from his prior two seasons in the burgundy and blue. However, that year was a contract year for Kadri, and the Avalanche opted to distribute money to Valeri Nichushkin, Josh Manson and Artturi Lehkonen instead of bringing back the center on a new deal.

Since then, the Avalanche have not been able to replace Kadri’s production as the center on the second line, as the front office has tried time and time again to put a cheaper player than Kadri out there behind Nathan MacKinnon.

Spoiler alert. It hasn’t worked.

Kadri ended up signing a 7-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames in the 2022 offseason after the Avalanche allocated their funds elsewhere. He has played in 82 games in all three seasons that he’s been up north and recorded 198 points.

Was Kadri also hinting that he was another one of the “dawgs” that the front office didn’t keep in Colorado after winning the Cup? He was the first big player that the organization couldn’t come to terms on an extension with after the Cup, and Rantanen joined that list this season.

Remember that the Avalanche front office traded Rantanen with plenty of time to go before the trade deadline earlier in the year because the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on a contract extension. After 28-year-old signed a contract extension with Dallas after being traded for a second time, it was seen that the deal he signed with the Stars wasn’t far off to the number the Avalanche organization had for him.

Kadri’s message is right, even if it’s a hurtful one for Avalanche fans to read. The front office has let multiple “dawgs” get away since winning the Stanley Cup, and the franchise has paid the price for it.