The NHL\u2019s Olympic roster freeze is over and the final push towards the trade deadline is under way. TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest news and rumours with the daily Countdown to TradeCentre blog.<\/p>\n
Follow all the latest trades here<\/a> and the most up to date signings here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Could Kadri return to Colorado? <\/p>\n The Colorado Avalanche<\/a> cleared $2.25 million in cap space Tuesday in their trade to acquire defenceman Brett Kulak<\/a> from the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> for Samuel Girard<\/a> and a second-round pick. <\/p>\n Kulak, 32, is a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a cap hit of $2.75 million, while the 27-year-old Girard was under contract through next year at a cap hit of $5 million. <\/p>\n It appears Tuesday\u2019s trade could pave the way for the NHL-best Avalanche to take a big swing ahead of the deadline. <\/p>\n \u201cAt this point in time, the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> have about $8 million in space, a little bit more than that, free to make additional moves,\u201c TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston explained on Insider Trading. \u201cThe expectation is they will use a good chunk of that to bring in another forward, perhaps a centreman.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we can attach them to all the big names out there on the Trade Bait list. Nazem Kadri<\/a>… but also others as the Avalanche are all in on trying to win a Stanley Cup this season.\u201c<\/p>\n Kadri\u2019s name continues to come up in trade speculation, with TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reporting that the veteran centre \u201cwants to be traded at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n Dreger said earlier this week the Flames have already received strong offers for Kardi, who has 10 goals and 39 points in 56 games this season.<\/p>\n The 35-year-old centre is on the fourth season of a seven-year, $49 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $7 million. Kadri won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche just prior to inking that deal with the Flames as a free agent. He posted 28 goals and a career-best 87 points in 71 games with the Avalanche in 2021-22, adding seven goals and 15 points in 16 playoff games en route to winning the title. <\/p>\n His goal scoring output has dipped this season after he posted a career-best 35 goals with Calgary last year, topping the 30-goal mark for the third time. <\/p>\n In terms of trade assets for Kadri, the Avalanche are without their picks in the first three rounds of this year\u2019s draft, but have their top two picks and the Minnesota Wild<\/a>\u2019s second-round pick in 2027 and their first- and third-round picks in 2028 to potentially flip. <\/p>\n The Avalanche hold a 37-9-9 record as play gets set to resume, but limped into the Olympic break with a 4-5-1 record in the final 10 games, allowing the Wild to close within five points for first in the Central Division, Pacific Conference and NHL. <\/p>\n Kane trade close?<\/p>\n It appears Evander Kane<\/a> could be moved in the very near future as the Vancouver Canucks<\/a> continue their rebuild.<\/p>\n Johnston reports Kane was involved in \u201ca fair amount of interest in discussions\u201d over the the Olympic break as the Canucks look to move the pending UFA.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that the Olympic freeze has lifted and trades are allowed to happen again, the expectation is that Kane will be moved on to a team with playoff aspirations,\u201d Johnston explained. \u201cThose like the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a>, Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>, Dallas Stars<\/a>, among others, have at least inquired here, and it shouldn\u2019t be a high cost with Kane potentially having half his salary retained by the Canucks.”<\/p>\n The 34-year-old winger has nine goals and 25 points in 56 games with the Canucks this season, carrying a cap hit of $5.125 million on his expiring deal.<\/p>\n The Vancouver native brings a playoff pedigree, having reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Oilers in each of the past twoseasons,\u00a0posting six goals and 12 points in 21 games last spring.<\/p>\n The Canucks could also consider a more franchise-altering move in trading centre Elias Pettersson<\/a>, whose trade market appears to be heating up again.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, the Canucks, frankly, are hoping that that interest progresses into a worthy trade offer that they can consider. That\u2019s not the case to this point,\u201d Dreger said Tuesday on Insider Trading.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you that Pettersson\u2019s agents from CAA are well aware of the trade discussions that are happening around their player, but they\u2019re not going to include Pettersson, who has a no-move clause, until it gets to a point where there is a potential deal. So it\u2019s still early, but there is a bit more buzz around Pettersson now.\u201d<\/p>\n The 27-year-old Pettersson has 13 goals and 34 points in 49 games with the Canucks this season and posted two goals in five games with Team Sweden at the Olympics.<\/p>\n Pettersson posted three straight 30-goal seasons before finishing with 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games last season, the first year of an eight-year, $92.8 million deal that carries a cap hit of $11.6 million. He has a full no-move clause that kicked in on July 1 of last year.<\/p>\n The Canucks, who are 21 points back of the Anaheim Ducks<\/a> for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, will resume their season on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Playing Matchmaker<\/p>\n