Nazem Kadri to wear No. 91 for the Colorado Avalanche

On July 1st, the Joe Sakic pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade that allowed him to acquire the second line center his team desperately needed. It came at the steep cost of Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot but what Nazem Kadri will bring to the Colorado Avalanche will be worth it.

Not only is he a proven 30+ goal scorer in the NHL, but he brings a style of play that will quickly turn Kadri into a fan favorite.

While he wore #43 during his ten years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kadri has decided that with a new team should come a new number.

That looks beautiful, don’t you think?

In a sense, Kadri will be going back to his roots. The 28-year old wore 91 during his two seasons with the London Knights - after wearing 19 during his first two seasons in the OHL with Kitchener.

OHL Images

Vladislav Kamenev has worn 91 with the Avalanche since coming over from Nashville as a part of the Matt Duchene trade back in 2017. Currently an RFA, Kamenev doesn’t have an NHL contract for next season so the fact that Kadri will be wearing his number next season might cause some Avs fans to worry about the young Russian’s status with the team. Don’t read too much into this. Young players give up their number to veterans all the time – usually at a cost. For what it’s worth, Kamenev wore 50 with Nashville, 9 and 16 with the Russian National Team and even wore 99 with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Kadri isn’t the only player in the trade to change his number. Since numbers 13 and 4 are retired in Toronto, both Kerfoot and Barrie will need new numbers when suiting up for the Maple Leafs. No word yet on what number Kerfoot will go with, but we have seen a sneak peak of Tyson’s new threads:

As we dredge through the dog days of the off season, seeing the name of the team’s biggest acquisition on the back of an Avalanche jersey is very exciting. Filling the team’s biggest hole, Kadri will be a big part of any success the team has in the coming seasons.

Get ready, Nasty Naz is comin’

***UPDATE

It looks like Kerfoot is going to be wearing number 15 in Toronto.