Nazem Kadri says it was ‘an absolute sweat’ waiting for Avalanche trade

Nazem Kadri was just as anxious as the rest of us.

As the Colorado Avalanche pulled off a shocker at the trade deadline buzzer on Friday afternoon, Kadri was also sitting and waiting.

The Avs are bringing Kadri back to Denver, acquiring him from the Calgary Flames for forward Victor Olofsson, a prospect and a future first-round pick and future second-round pick.

The NHL’s deadline was at 1:00 p.m. MT, but trade call was waiting in queue when news broke at 2:00 p.m. it would be happening.

Immediately after, Kadri joined TSN’s James Duthie to discuss his emotions. It’s a great interview worth checking out.

When Nazem Kadri got asked what it was like anticipating the news over the last couple of hours, he gave a very real answer.

“An absolute sweat. That’s what it was. I didn’t even realize it could happen that long after, but obviously super excited. You know a team at the very top of my list, man I can’t wait,” Kadri said.

The 35-year-old Kadri was in the fourth season of a seven-year contract with the Flames and comes back to the Avalanche having recorded 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 61 games this season. Calgary will also reportedly retain 20 percent of his contract moving forward, so the Avs will owe Kadri $5.6 million a season as opposed to $7 million.

He sounded beyond excited to return to Colorado, a place he had so much success and still has a lot of friends and fellow champions on the team.

“Of course with the familiarity and a lot of guys I’ve in battle with already. So, hopefully it’s a pretty seamless transition. Obviously there were a few other teams in the mix, but ideally this was certainly No. 1,” Kadri said.

Kadri went on to thank the Flames for getting the deal done and said the process was a “rollercoaster” overall. There were reports on Thursday night that Calgary ownership had blocked a trade, but those hurdles were cleared by all parties involved.

Nazem Kadri also said the texts had started with guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar. They all hoisted the Cup together in 2022 and will look to do it again in 2026.

It’s a memorable day for Avalanche fans — with hopefully the best yet to come.

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