“I was coming for everybody’s a**”: Nazem Kadri doesn’t mince his words about Maple Leafs’ management after ugly trade drama

By Mike Whitaker

Modified Nov 04, 2024 04:05 GMT

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Gritty forward Nazem Kadri is in his third season with the Calgary Flames, and is hoping to help lead the franchise back to the postseason for the first time since 2022.

Coincidentally, the 2022 postseason ended with Kadri's Colorado Avalanche dethroning the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, winning their first title since 2001. Kadri played a notable role in the postseason run, including scoring the overtime game-winning goal in Game 4 of the Cup Final.

However, his career began with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who took him with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. It was a highly publicized trade to Colorado ahead of the 2019-20 season that ended his tenure in Toronto, where he said he felt mistreated by management.

He detailed portions of his grievances against his former club in his new memoir, "Dreamer: My Life On The Edge". He revealed some of what readers can look forward to in an interview with Leafs beat writer Jonas Siegel, including his feelings of motivation after being traded.

"Yeah, definitely in a way, like in a revengeful, hatred-type way," he said of wanting to prove the Leafs wrong for trading him. "For sure. Like I mentioned in the book, I was coming for everybody’s ass at that point because I just didn’t like the way that they had treated me. At that point, I made it personal."

When asked how former general manager Lou Lamoreillo would have handled things differently than Kyle Dubas, Kadri mentioned that the seasoned executive is far more "hands-on" and would communicate the move better.

"I think he just would have communicated a little bit differently. Lou’s very hands-on," he said. "So, he probably would have overseen that situation a little more closely. I have no idea what those guys were thinking or what they were trying to do. But it was just one of those things that I was kind of used to, just bouncing back and forth (from the Marlies to the Leafs) a couple years there to start my career, trying to find my path. And I ended up breaking through when I needed to."

Kadri is in the third season of a seven-year, $49 million deal he signed with the Flames after becoming a free agent in 2022.

Nazem Kadri played a key role in Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup victory

Kadri helped the Avalanche to victory in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final with a clutch overtime tally in Game 4 of the championship series, giving Colorado a three games-to-two series lead.

"It was a rollercoaster of emotions," Kadri said after scoring the clutch tally[via The Athletic]. "Just thinking I was done and having a sliver of hope, and then sitting here right now is kind of surreal.

"I just was excited to join the team again and be in the dressing room. This is what I've been waiting for my entire life, so it certainly was exciting to get back into the lineup."

While the Avalanche dropped Game 5 on home ice, they would claim victory in Game 6, winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since the franchise last did so in 2001.

Kadri also garnered national headlines during Colorado's second-round series against the St. Louis Blues, experiencing death threats after a collision with goaltender Jordan Binnington knocked him out for the rest of the series. Kadri responded with his first-career postseason hat trick.

In 914 career NHL games, Kadri has tallied 276 goals with 373 assists and 706 penalty minutes.