Team

Betting

FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA

Flashback Friday: Looking at the Alex Tanguay, Jordan Leopold, and Dean McAmmond trades with the Avalanche

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

By Cynthia Ryley Delaney

Oct 30, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 30, 2026, 16:50 EDT

Comments

The Calgary Flames have had some weird trades with the Colorado Avalanche.

Before the 2026 trade deadline, the Flames sent Nazem Kadri and a 2027 fourth to the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions for Victor Olofsson, prospect Max Curran, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2028 first-round pick. That 2028 first was flipped to the New Jersey Devils for Šimon Nemec.

That’s the most recent trade, and the lone trade the two teams have made since October 2015. Before that date, the teams were common trade partners, making nine trades from October 2002 until that day when the Flames acquired Freddie Hamilton.

One phrase to describe some of these trades is “second stint city”. We’ll look at five trades between the two teams that revolve around three players.

Dean McAmmond

In the summer of 2001, the Flames acquired Dean McAmmond from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2002 fourth-rounder. The Grande Cache, Alberta product had a career-year with the Flames in 2001-02, scoring 21 goals and 51 points in 73 games.

His first stint lasted a little over a year, as McAmmond was traded alongside Jeff Shantz and Derek Morris to the Avalanche for Chris Drury and Stephan Yelle. Both Drury and Yelle had lengthy NHL career, but Drury was traded during the 2003 off-season after just one season, while Yelle spent five seasons with the Flames.

McAmmond played just 41 games with the Avalanche in 2002-03, scoring 10 goals and 18 points in what was a season full of injuries. Before the 2003 trade deadline, McAmmond was shipped back to Flames for a 2003 fifth, used to select Mark McCutcheon.

Due to some rules that no longer exist, McAmmond was ineligible to play for the Flames for the remainder of the 2002-03 season. But his second stint with the Flames was another good one, scoring 17 goals and 30 points in 64 games. Unfortunately for him and the Flames, he missed their run to the Stanley Cup Finals, but he was a part of the Ottawa Senators’ run in 2007.

Alex Tanguay and Jordan Leopold

McAmmond is one of three players involved in two trades between the Flames and Avalanche, existing in his own trade tree. The other two players, Alex Tanguay and Jordan Leopold, were once traded for each other.

The first of three trades we’ll look at in this section came on Jun. 24th, 2006. Before the 2006 NHL Draft, the Flames sent Leopold, a 2006 second, and a 2007 seventh for Tanguay. Neither of the players selected with those two picks played an NHL game, but these three trades are just weird.

Tanguary scored 22 goals and 81 points in his first season with the Flames, setting a career–best point total. The following season, Tanguary scored 18 goals and 58 points in 78 games, picking up four assists in seven postseason games. That marked the end of his first Flames’ tenure.

Leopold, who spent his first three seasons with the Flames, played just 15 games with the Avalanche in 2006-07. The following season saw him suit up for 43 games, where he scored five goals and 13 points in 43 games. He remained healthy in 2008-09, scoring six goals and 20 points in 64 games.

But on Mar. 4, 2009, the Flames re-acquired Leopold. They sent two left-shot defencemen (Lawrence Nycholat and Ryan Wilson), as well as a 2009 second that turned out to be Stefan Elliott, a right-shot defenceman.

Nycholat played five games with the Avalanche that season, spelling the end of his 50-game NHL career. Wilson made his debut the following season and appeared in 230 NHL games, all with the Avalanche, where he scored seven goals and 230 points.

Elliott’s career-high in games came in his first NHL season, scoring four goals and 13 points in 39 games. He played 18 in 2012-13, one in 2013-14, and five in 2014-15. He played 24 more NHL games with three other teams before finishing his career overseas. He also represented Team Canada at the 2018 Olympics, so that’s cool.

Leopold’s second stint last 19 regular season games and six postseason games, scoring a goal and four points in the 19 regular season games, and an assist in the playoffs. During the 2009 off-season, he and a 2009 third-rounder were sent to the Florida Panthers for Jay Bouwmeester.

Quick side tangent here, Bouwmeester was traded to the St. Louis Blues before the 2013 trade deadline for a package that included Reto Berra. Before the Kadri trade last season, the Flames’ most recent trade with the Avalanche that involved an NHL player actually saw Berra traded to the Avalanche for a 2014 second-rounder.

Anyway, Leopold bounced around the league for a few seasons, playing the 2009-10 season with the Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, parts of three seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and Blues, then three Central Division teams in 2014-15 before his career ended.

So what about Tanguay’s second stint?

Well, he signed with the Montréal Canadiens for the 2008-09 season, then the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2009-10 season. During the 2010 off-season, Tanguay returned to the Flames on a one-year deal, where he scored 22 goals and 69 points in 79 games, the highest mark in both categories since his first season with the Flames.

In 2011-12, Tanguay scored 13 goals and 49 points in 64 games, then 11 goals and 27 points in 40 games in 2012-13. During the 2013 off-season, Tanguay was shipped back to the Avalanche alongside Cory Sarich for David Jones and Shane O’Brien.

Tanguay scored four goals and 11 points in just 16 games with the Avalanche in 2013-14. He returned to form in 2014-15, scoring 22 goals and 55 points, but that was the final time he reached the double-digit goal mark and 25-point mark, playing just two more seasons.

There are more notable trades between the two teams, but it’s fascinating to see how multiple players in the noughties had two stints with the Flames thanks to trades with the Avalanche.

Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFO Calgary, DFO Edmonton, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.

Sponsored by bet365: