The NHL returns from the Olympic break this week, and with it, full attention shifts back to the March 6 trade deadline.

The Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins wasted no time getting active.

Former Edmonton Oiler Brett Kulak is headed back to the Western Conference, as the Avalanche acquired the veteran defenceman from Pittsburgh in exchange for Samuel Girard and a second-round pick.

Kulak had only been in Pittsburgh since December, when the Oilers dealt him along with goaltender Stuart Skinner and a second-round pick for Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin. After a steady 25-game stretch with the Penguins, he’s on the move again, this time to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Colorado enters the stretch run with the NHL’s best record at 37-9-9, though nine of its 18 total losses have come since the calendar flipped to 2026. Adding Kulak gives the Avalanche a playoff-tested defender who can play either side and handle second- or third-pair minutes.

Cale Makar leads Colorado at 25:06 per night, followed by Devon Toews at 22:22. Forty-year-old Brent Burns sits third among Avs defencemen at 19:30. Kulak averaged 20:32 last season in Edmonton and 23:25 during the playoffs, though his role dipped to 17:42 earlier this year before being traded. He logged just over 20 minutes per game in Pittsburgh.

For Colorado, this is about depth and durability. For Pittsburgh, it’s another step in a quiet retool.

The Calgary Flames, meanwhile, appear fully committed to selling.

Sitting tied for third-last in the Western Conference at 23-27-6, Calgary has already moved pending free agent Rasmus Andersson to Vegas. Nazem Kadri could be next.

According to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, it is “inevitable” that the 35-year-old centre is traded, and the only question is timing. Francis pointed to Kadri describing himself as a Flame “for now” as telling about his future with the club.

Selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft, Kadri spent the first decade of his professional career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, breaking through during the lockout-shortened 2013 season with 44 points in 48 games. The London, Ontario native scored 161 goals and 357 points over 561 games with his hometown club before getting moved to the Avalanche following the 2018-19 campaign.

Kadri was an excellent fit for the Avs, serving as the team’s second-line centre behind Nathan MacKinnon. In 2021-22, a contract year, he set a career-high with 87 points in 71 games for Colorado before scoring 15 points in 16 games during the team’s Stanley Cup run.

The Flames inked Kadri to a seven-year contract worth $7 million annually the following off-season, a needed response after losing both Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk earlier in the summer. Through the first four seasons of that deal, Kadri has scored 237 points over 302 games, but Calgary has missed the playoffs in each year and they’re headed in that direction again.

With three years left at $7 million and a 13-team no-trade list, it won’t necessarily be easy for general manager Craig Conroy to get an exciting return for Kadri. Through 56 games this season, he has 10 goals and 39 points along with a minus-24 rating while logging 19:27 per night on average.

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.