Before the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche shook up the hockey world with their Canada Day blockbuster, Nazem Kadri reportedly blocked a trade that would have kept him in Canada.

Confirming an earlier report from Pierre LeBrun, the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons claims Kadri nixed a move to the Calgary Flames. Simmons reports the agreed-upon trade would have sent Kadri and Connor Brown to Calgary in exchange for defenceman T.J. Brodie and forward Mark Jankowski.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving and coach Bill Peters reportedly contacted Kadri to sell him on playing for the Flames, but the 28-year-old wasn’t receptive to the idea and exercised the no-movement clause in his contract.

Toronto ultimately traded Kadri, Calle Rosen and a draft pick to the Avalanche in exchange for a package headlined by Tyson Barrie and Alex Kerfoot. The Leafs also dealt Brown to the Ottawa Senators in the Nikita Zaitsev-Cody Ceci trade.

Kadri’s veto seems to have worked in the Leafs’ favour, as Barrie is more of a weapon than Brodie (and cheaper after the Avs retained half of his cap hit), while Kerfoot carries more potential than Jankowski. Meanwhile, Colorado seems like an ideal fit for Kadri.

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