Nazem Kadri sheds hot-head image as Avalanche advance past Coyotes in first round

Nazem Kadri allowed his temper to outshine his talent.

One season with the Avalanche flipped that hockey reputation on its head.

“The smile says it all,” Kadri said Wednesday, of course, with a huge grin.

He spoke after Colorado advanced past Arizona in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a Game 5 blowout, 7-1, with Kadri extending his stretch of brilliant play in the Edmonton bubble. He scored twice in the first period to bring his postseason total to six goals — tied for most in the NHL (Bo Horvat, Vancouver). And, perhaps as important, Kadri advanced to the second round without spending a single minute in the penalty box.

It’s a complete role reversal from the 2018 and ’19 NHL postseasons, when Kadri, while playing for Toronto, received multi-game suspensions for illegal first-round hits in consecutive playoffs. The Avs traded for Kadri in July 2019, with plans to harness that aggression into a dependable but gritty center to anchor the second line.

“I talked with Naz when he first got to us a little bit about his history in Toronto, some of the penalties and his reputation,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “He stated right away that he had made some mistakes there, that he was sort of past that and it wouldn’t be a problem. I said … ‘I want you to play your game, be physical and sort of toe the line. Be highly competitive, be a difference-maker for us, but I don’t want you in the (penalty) box all the time. You’re too big a piece to our team.’”

It appears Kadri’s image makeover is complete.

“You want to learn from your mistakes and I’m trying to mature as a person, a player, and as a teammate,” Kadri said. “I’m trying to stay calm out there and composed. I want to help my team win and I think staying in games would do that.”

Kadri was most dominant as part of the Avs’ top power-play unit. He netted four PP goals in the Arizona series, which ranks the most by an Avalanche player in the postseason since Joe Sakic scored five power-play goals in 2001 over four rounds.

“Naz has really found a way to impact our hockey club in a great way,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said. “He’s that little extra sandpaper that I felt we needed last year. He’s one of those guys who can help out in all areas of the game.”

Back in July, it would have been easy for Colorado to pass on Kadri considering his sordid playoff history. Instead of creating headaches, though, Kadri has established himself as a consistent point producer with the maturity of an established leader this postseason.

“All the kudos belong to the team,” Kadri said. “They opened up their locker room and have made me feel at home since Day 1. They’ve done a great job of that and embraced my play and who I am off of the ice. Of course, I’ve been around for a while, so I try to take on more of a leadership role.

“The team and the organization has accepted me and allowed me to do what I do best. That’s something that’s much appreciated.”