Dater Column: Nazem Kadri’s “Chip on my shoulder” exactly what Avs needed

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – As former Avalanche TV announcer John Kelly would have said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Avalanche fans everywhere should be saying that right now to Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, vis a vis his decision to trade Nazem Kadri to the Avs last summer.

It was bemoaned by some in Avalanche Nation at the time, but the more savvy fans knew: the Avs needed a second-line center very badly, and they had a bargaining chip in the form of UFA-to-be-after-this-season Tyson Barrie to get one. Kadri, who played in Toronto for about a decade, was exactly the kind of player Joe Sakic knew he had to get if his team was going to become a serious playoff contender.