But Bylsma, the guest on this week’s episode of the “NHL @TheRink” podcast, told co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke that’s likely less of an issue for Nazem Kadri and Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar.
The Avalanche acquired Kadri from the Calgary Flames on March 6, but in doing so they brought back a player they know well; the forward played three seasons with Colorado from 2019-22, winning helping it win the Cup in 2022 before leaving to sign with Calgary.
“I think that’s a unique situation,” Bylsma said. “It’s a big player, it’s a big piece, but it’s also a piece they’ve had before, and I think that’s a significant part of Kadri going back to the Avalanche. The players in that room have played with him and won with him before. They know where he fits and he knows where he fits. Potentially, that’s a very good fit for that situation.”
Bylsma said he found it interesting that Kadri was on the first power-play unit with Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Martin Necas and Cale Makar less than two minutes into his first game back with the Avalanche on Sunday, a 3-2 shootout win against the Minnesota Wild.
Colorado (43-11-9) leads the NHL with 95 points, five ahead of the Dallas Stars.
“Yes, there’s some injuries [to Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen] so they’re maybe not displacing a player, but I think that probably wasn’t a surprise to the group that Kadri goes on the first power play and he’s standing there in the middle of the ice with MacKinnon, Necas, Makar and Nelson out there,” Bylsma said. “If you came into that team no history with the player, no history with the group and you’re displacing a guy who has got 14 power-play goals, the guy who got displaced will be like, ‘Dude, I have 14 power-play goals. Like, what?’ The player definitely wants the team to win and wants the team to have success, but a lot of the success they may have been having is like, ‘Hey dude, I’ve been standing here for 60 games, and now it’s going to that guy.’
“When Kadri did it, I think it’s probably pretty natural for the group to see that happen and for him to go there. Not as much managing of the situation that Jared had to do.”
Bylsma also discussed the likely Central Division clash in the Western Conference First Round between the Stars and Wild, and reasons why one of his former teams, the Buffalo Sabres, can go on a long playoff run.
In addition, he handicapped the race for the Hart Trophy as League MVP, which led to Rosen and Roarke continuing that discussion after the interview with Bylsma.
The co-hosts also talked about the red-hot Sabres (40-19-6), who have won eight in a row, and if the New York Islanders are also a legitimate Cup contender.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
