The Colorado Avalanche hit a speedbump today with the announcement that forward Nazem Kadri will be out indefinitely. The nature of the injury is not known but it could have occurred in the team’s recent win over the Minnesota Wild. Altitude Radio host Brett Kane broke the news earlier Tuesday morning.
Jared Bednar just told us on @AltitudeSR that Nazem Kadri is out indefinitely. Ouch.
— Brett Kane (@BrettKaneRadio) February 11, 2020
Nazem Kadri Out Indefinitely
Kadri has been a perfect second-line centre since coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs via trade. The 29-year-old has 17 goals and 36 points in 51 games. He has been a physical presence as well with 61 hits. His biggest contribution might be controlling the start of play with an excellent 56.8 percent faceoff win rate. Having a steady player who can win the puck and play both directions is something every team needs.
He isn’t a superstar but Kadri has been everything the team has needed in 2019-20. There have been no character concerns this season. His playoff antics wore his welcome out in Toronto but he’s been a model Avalanche skater playing as the extra forward on the power play. Fans will be nervous he will cause problems in the playoffs this season but there is no reason to think that will happen based on his performance thus far.
What This Means for the Future
The Avalanche have a tough decision on their hands. This injury could force a trade for a player like Jean-Gabriel Pageau to reinforce the middle-six. They might have made the trade anyway but this injury adds incentive for another quality forward. There are other centres the team could pursue but Pageau is notable as a two-way option who’s produced in many of the same ways as Kadri this year.
The team might also opt to move Tyson Jost up to the second line until the extent of Kadri’s injury is known or a trade is made. The 21-year-old hasn’t put together a full campaign yet but still has plenty of time to produce. He has five goals and 16 points in 51 games playing mostly on the bottom-six.
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