It was the summer of 2019 and the Maple Leafs were heading into their offseason after another first-round playoff loss in seven games to the Bruins.
For the second consecutive postseason, Nazem Kadri had sat and watched his team from the press box while serving a suspension. This time, he sat out five games, forced to watch Boston rally from a 3-2 series deficit to beat Toronto for the third time in seven seasons.
A few months later, Kadri, Calle Rosen and a 2020 third-round draft pick were sent to the Avalanche. In exchange, the Maple Leafs received Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft.
At the time, the trade made sense for both teams. With young defensive prospects in the system like Cale Makar, Samuel Girard and Bowen Byram, the Avalanche weren’t going to be able to afford Barrie. They also needed a second line center. The Maple Leafs needed help at the back end and Kadri was hurting, not helping, the team in the playoffs. A fresh start could help his career.
Fast-forward three years later, and that player who was considered a postseason drag is a Stanley Cup champion.
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After a career year in the regular season, Kadri was instrumental in the Avs’ success in the playoffs. He finished fifth on the team with 15 points, including the winner in overtime in Game 4 to put the Avs ahead in the series 3-1, despite missing four games. He played an important role as a second-row center for Colorado. He’s in for a big payday this summer with his contract coming to an end.
The 31-year-old didn’t hold back either, calling out those who deemed him unfit to be part of a championship-winning team.
“Everyone who thought I was a drag in the playoffs can kiss my ass,” Kadri said after the victory.
With Kadri thriving as a member of the Avs, many people, especially Leafs fans, can’t help but return to the trade that sent him to Colorado. Here’s a look at that deal and how it ended for both parties.
For whom was Nazem Kadri changed?
- Avalanche receives: Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen, 2020 third-round pick
- Maple Leafs receives: Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot, 2020 sixth-round pick
This was a pretty fair trade at the time. Three years later, he heavily favors the Avalanche, especially if they lift the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Barrie lasted only one season in Toronto. Kerfoot has been a good third-row player for the Maple Leafs, but he hasn’t been anything special. The sixth-round pick became forward Joe Miller, who is committed to playing at Harvard this fall.
Kadri has become a pivotal player for Colorado; we will delve more into the impact of it later. Rosen was eventually traded to the Leafs for goaltender Michael Hutchinson. He left Toronto as a free agent last year and signed with the Blues. The third-round pick was used on forward Jean-Luc Foudy, who played the past two seasons in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles.
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Nazem Kadri’s stats with Avalanche
Kadri played in two shortened regular seasons for the Avalanche before the 2021-22 campaign. In his first year in Colorado, the center scored 36 points in 51 games and then was sensational in the 2020 playoffs, registering 18 points in 15 games inside the bubble. His nine goals were tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the most on the team. The Avalanche were eliminated in the second round by the eventual Western Conference champion Stars.
In his second season with the Avs, Kadri regressed a bit, recording just 32 points in 56 regular season games. In the playoffs, the Avalanche proved what the Maple Leafs experienced with him.
In Game 2 of the first round, Kadri delivered a dangerous blow to the head of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. The NHL suspended Kadri for eight games. He ended up never playing in the postseason again: The Avs won the next two games to sweep the Blues and then lost in six to the Golden Knights.
This season, Kadri toned down the aggressiveness and played a smarter game, intent on staying on the ice. He had a career-high 87 points in the regular season and could have reached 100 if not for an injury that kept him out for 11 games. The only time he missed this postseason was when he sat out with a broken thumb.
Unless Kadri is willing to take a discount to stay in Denver, this was probably his last career with the Avs. He has moved out of the Colorado price range. He is in for a massive raise after he becomes a free agent.
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Tyson Barrie’s stats with the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs knew there would be a financial risk in bringing in Barrie because he only had one year left on his contract. He needed to prove that he deserved an extension.
Immediately, then-coach Mike Babcock put him in a bad spot. Barrie was paired with Jake Muzzin, which limited his opportunities to show off his offensive prowess. He clearly did not fit well into Babcock’s system.
Barrie’s game improved after Babcock was fired and Sheldon Keefe was brought in. He was given more freedom to jump into the game and contribute on offense. The azulgrana finished the season with 39 points in 70 games. If he had played the entire season in Keefe’s system, he probably would have had more than 50 points.
Despite the results in the second half of the season, the Maple Leafs decided not to offer Barrie an extension. He left Toronto in the summer and signed a one-year deal with the Oilers.
Reference-www.sportingnews.com