Earlier this afternoon, Avalanche GM Joe Sakic said he was done for the day, with free agency that is. Sakic left the door open for a trade and has delivered a blockbuster deal in the early evening hours of July 1.
Colorado has traded D Tyson Barrie, F Alexander Kerfoot, and a sixth-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for C Nazem Kadri, D Calle Rosen, and a third-round pick.
“We would like to thank Tyson (Barrie) for all he has done both on and off the ice for the Avalanche organization,” Sakic said. “He certainly made an impact not only with his play but with his charitable work in the local community.”
Kadri, 28, instantly becomes the Avalanche’s biggest offseason pickup. Their need for a second-line center has been well-documented all summer long, and the two-time 30-goal scorer will slot right in to fill out Colorado’s top-six.
“Nazem is a proven goal scorer and a fierce competitor who plays in all situations,” Sakic added. “He is under contract for the next three seasons and will immediately fit right in as our second-line center and improve our scoring depth.”
Kadri’s deal carries a team-friendly $4.5 million AAV for the next three years. Last season he scored 16 goals and added 28 assists in 73 games playing on Toronto’s third line for a majority of the season. Kadri scored 32 goals in each of his previous two seasons, playing on the second line with Mitch Marner.
The other component of the trade, Rosen, provides the Avalanche with added depth on the blueline. The 25-year-old native of Vaxjo, Sweden, was projected to jump into the NHL full-time with the Maple Leafs next season. In 2018-19, Rosen recorded 7 goals, 39 assists, and 46 points in just 54 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. He also appeared in four games for the Leafs, scoring one goal.
“Calle is a young defenseman with upside,” Sakic said about the young blueliner. “He has played in the AHL and has also seen some NHL time over the last two years.”
It’s hard to say if Sakic is done making moves for the summer, but the subtraction of Kerfoot and addition of Kadri up front, along with the acquisitions of forwards Andre Burakovsky, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and Joonas Donskoi, gives the Avalanche a formidable group of forwards heading into next season.
With Kadri cementing Colorado’s biggest need, it will allow forwards Tyson Jost, J.T. Compher, Donskoi, Burakovsky and Colin Wilson, who was re-signed earlier this afternoon, to round out the middle-six around the veteran centerman.
On defense, Rosen will have an opportunity to make the team out of training camp with Sakic confirming earlier today that Ian Cole will be out until December.