Kadri Explains Why He Blocked Trade To Calgary.

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July 12, 2019 (10:46)

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"The Toronto Maple Leafs and general manager Kyle Dubas have made some bold moves this summer. One of them included trading long time forward Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche to land offensive defenseman Tyson Barrie.Kadri had a no trade clause and apparently used it to block a trade to Calgary. The former Leafs' forward spoke with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the "31 Thoughts" podcast and the duo asked them about blocking the trade to Calgary. "So what happened is they had a deal in place and they wanted me to move my no-trade clause,» Kadri explained. «But you know, obviously, for me, it was no disrespect to Calgary or the Flames organization. I love their team and I love the direction they're headed. I just figured that had I declined, I would have had a better opportunity of being a Maple Leaf next year and that's really what it came down to. I wanted to play for the Leafs next year. I wanted to be a part of that. In declining that trade I had aspirations of being a Leaf and we know clearly that didn't happen.
«They had other plans,» Kadri continued. «I'm just happy to be moving to a great city with a great team, a great group of guys. I've talked to everybody in the (Colorado) organization and they're ecstatic to have me so it's nice to be wanted.»The forward will now look at proving to the rest of the league that he can put up 30 goals again. «… For me, it's about going in to next season with a chip on my shoulder. I know what I'm capable of and I want to just prove a point more than anything. So I'll be looking to have a big year next year.»
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