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Kadri was surprised by 45-second phone call from Leafs GM upon trade

DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 03: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche plays the Calgary Flames in the second period at the Pepsi Center on October 03, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

In a snippet of an interview with Sportsnet that will air Saturday night before the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Colorado Avalanche, Nazem Kadri shared an honest story of how his tenure in Toronto ended after a quick phone call with Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas.

“Dubas called me, it was fairly quick... it was a bit surprising, I mean it was like a 40-45 second conversation. I felt like maybe I deserved a little bit better after 10 years. I was, you know, a little bit bitter afterwards.”

Kadri, the longest tenured Leaf at the time, was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in a Canada Day deal that sent Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot the other way. His NHL career began with Toronto in 2009 after the club drafted him seventh overall, and he’d tally 580 games in the Blue and White to follow.

Kadri first blocked a deal that would have sent him to Calgary with his 10 team no-trade clause with hopes he’d stay with the Leafs.

The change of scenery hasn’t slowed down Kadri in terms of his point production, as he’s recorded seven goals and 15 points in 22 games with the Avs. It’ll certainly be a weird feeling tonight for the ex-Leaf as he faces his old team for the first time since his move to Colorado.

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