Nazem Kadri blocked a trade to the Calgary Flames.

The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off a huge trade this week, one that removed a problematic player from their roster and one that also plugged a huge hole that had been on their blue line for several seasons now. 

I am of course referring to the trade that sent veteran forward Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for veteran defenseman Tyson Barrie, there were of course other parts to this trade but these were clearly the two center pieces for each organization. Kadri had been a very good player for the Maple Leafs, especially on his very team friendly contract, but back to back suspensions in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs had seriously damaged his reputation in the Toronto market. It was unclear how the team felt internally about the suspensions to Kadri but I think this trade is some evidence that they felt it was time to move on.

What is interesting though is that the trade with the Avalanche may have never happened had it not been for Kadri himself. In a recent article published for The Athletic, TSN National Hockey League insider Pierre LeBrun revealed that Kadri had previously nixed another trade the Leafs had tried to pull off involving him. According to LeBrun the Leafs had attempted to work out a deal with the Flames, and presumably had one in place, only to have Kadri flex the power of his no-trade list and block that deal.

From LeBrun:

Not that he wanted to get traded. Sources confirm Kadri nixed a potential deal to Calgary over the past week, and I believe his camp also sent word to another club on his 10-team no-trade list that had interest in him not to bother calling the Leafs. It was clear Kadri didn’t want to move.

Colorado was not on Kadri’s no-list, which allowed the Leafs to make the deal.

Both defensemen T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic of the Calgary Flames have repeatedly come up in rumors as players that could be moved this summer to clear up room for the cap-strapped Flames, but they would not initially seem like great fits for Toronto. The Flames are trying to shed salary with those rumored moves, and with the Leafs in a similar boat it seems unlikely that they would have been able to do so. That being said would anyone truly be surprised if either of these players had been linked to the Kadri deal that fell apart?