Should Nazem Kadri play wing for the Colorado Avalanche, or should the Avs keep him at center to maximize their depth? With Val Nichushkin gone and Colorado searching for the right top-six winger next to stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen, and Gabriel Landeskog, the Avs have major lineup decisions to make entering the 2026-27 NHL season. Jaden Schwartz may be the most likely option, but Kadri’s offensive production, power play fit, and ability to finish alongside elite playmakers could make him the most intriguing solution. We break down Kadri vs. Schwartz, Colorado’s young winger options, and how the Avalanche can build their best forward lines this season.
1 Comment
RockD
Relegating Kadri to strictly 3C would be poor utilization. As much as we hope Bednar eases off on the top players it’s hard to see the bottom 6 getting more than 16ish minutes of 5v5 time to divvy up. It feels like there’s an opportunity to use multiple of the bottom 6 guys in that 4th top 6 winger spot. Depending on situation you could drop in Schwartz, Kadri, Kelly, and even Svechkov and Brindley in search of what works, I really hope the pre-New Year games have a ton of combos