The Canadiens pursued this star forward on trade deadline day.
The Montreal Canadiens may have had a quiet 2026 trade deadline day, but they reportedly tried to make a big deal.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Peter Baugh reported that the Canadiens remained in the Nazem Kadri sweepstakes until the afternoon on the day of the trade deadline. Kadri, of course, ended up being traded to the Colorado Avalanche.
"Kadri has a 13-team no-trade list this season, which eliminated some interested teams. Colorado, of course, wanted to make a reunion happen, and Montreal — the team Kadri grew up cheering for — was in the mix until the afternoon on deadline day, the league source said," Baugh wrote.
Hearing that the Canadiens made a push for Kadri on deadline day is not surprising in the slightest. He was linked to the Canadiens for a good portion of the season, and there is no question that he would have been an awesome veteran for them to add to their top six. However, the Avalanche won the sweepstakes in the end.
While the Canadiens did not land Kadri, they could always look to add another star center during the off-season. Robert Thomas and Vincent Trocheck were two big trade candidates who did not get moved ahead of the deadline, so they could be players the Canadiens look at during the summer.