Colorado Avalanche linked to big name after clearing cap space in Girard deal

The Colorado Avalanche have been on an absolute tear in 2025/26, and with the team beginning the post-Olympics break in first place in the Western Conference standings, they believe this could be another Stanley Cup winning season.

Unsurprisingly, they were quick to make a move following the Olympics roster freeze, as they acquired Brett Kulak in a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, moving out Sam Girard in the process.

However, the biggest factor in this deal was the team clearing up some salary cap space, and with help needed up front, they are expected to use their now $8 million in cap space to push for a big name.

One name that has consistently come up in trade talks surrounding Colorado has been former Stanley Cup winner with the Avs, Nazem Kadri, and now that the team have enough space to acquire him, Chris Johnston has made the connection once again.

Obviously, Kadri isn't going to come cheap, as he has several years remaining on his deal with a $7 million AAV cap hit, but given how productive he's been on a struggling Flames team and the familiarity with Colorado, it's a fit that just makes perfect sense.

Ultimately, the Avalanche have very few assets to make a deal, so this would potentially need to be a three-team deal to get it done, but if they do want an upgrade down the middle, with their newfound cap space, don't be shocked to see them push hard to land the Calgary Flames star.

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