Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar revealed to the media on Tuesday that center Nazem Kadri has suffered a lower-body injury and is set to miss “weeks, not days” of NHL action. This is not good news if you’re an Avs fan.
“Kadri’s going to miss some time here. He’s going to be out indefinitely,” Bednar said on the Moser, Lombardi and Kane show. “He has a lower-body injury, so we’ll just keep re-evaluating him, but he’s going to miss some time here.”
The silver lining here is that as one door closes for a while, another might open.
Depending on how long Kadri is out, there might be options for the Avalanche on the trade front. As it was revealed through discussion about what the Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues might do based on how serious the injuries to players like Morgan Rielly and Vladimir Tarasenko are that a salary cap loophole exists. If his injury is that bad, Colorado may have the option to use the money being spent on Kadri to acquire more talent if Kadri won’t be back before the end of the regular season. If he returns for the playoffs, the Avs become that much more of a potent team.
Kadri’s Injury Likely Not That Serious
If Kadri does return before then, the Avs were already looking to add over the next two weeks and are contenders. As Pierre LeBrun notes on Twitter, “Avs spokesman tells me it’s week to week for Kadri who was injured Sunday night. Colorado was already in the market for a top-9 F so this may add some urgency to it.”
This news means the Avs will likely go shopping before the trade deadline but what will they acquire? They now need a face-off guy, a power-play guy, and a second-line centre with experience, not to mention grit and sandpaper.
Don’t be shocked if the Avs become players on every big name available before Feb 24. From Chris Kreider to Tyler Toffoli or Jean-Gabriel Pageau, the Avalanche might kick tires. They have the space to add someone and the money to spend.
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