DENVER — Avalanche center Alex Newhook received a text message from Nazem Kadri after his free agency departure to the Flames.

Play with that swagger and be confident in yourself. You have the tools.

Newhook took his advice to heart. He earned the No. 2 center job, replacing Kadri, ahead of their reunion Thursday night in Calgary.

“Naz was a great role model for me being a young guy. He was always pretty talkative and always trying to help me out with different things. Especially, when I first got here, it seemed like he kind of took me under his belt a little bit,” Newhook said. “He felt like a guy I could always go to and talk about anything with, whether it was hockey or whatever else. A great teammate. He really cared about winning.

“Everyone was in touch with him when he left. But he sent me a bit of a personal note, which was cool. He’s definitely that kind of a guy.”

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar and five players discussed Kadri’s legacy in Colorado with The Gazette last week. He was a vital piece of the Avs’ regular season push with 87 points (28 goals) before playing a key role on their quest to win the Stanley Cup.

“A great guy. I loved him as a teammate,” Bednar said. “He was an honest worker and, obviously, highly skilled. We could rely on him in a bunch of different areas. He had a wonderful year for us. So, it’s a big hole in our lineup. We’ve talked about how we maybe fill in that hole and (Newhook) is a big part of that.”

They all spoke glowingly of the sometimes-maligned center, whose history of disciplinary suspensions still irk many in the hockey world. Like NHL Hall of Famer Brett Hull.

He recently went on an anti-Kadri tirade on The Cam and Strick Podcast. Hull declared: “He’s an idiot.” But not according to Kadri’s former Avalanche teammates.

Defenseman Josh Manson: “It was tough to see (Kadri) go, for sure. What he brings on the ice was special. He wanted to win. Around the room, you could get that sense. … That passion was there and it’s something you need to see in your teammates. For him to have that was a little bit infectious.”

Forward Mikko Rantanen: “Everybody liked him. He had that swagger and funny things he would say. We really miss him, obviously. But I’m really happy that he gets a chance in Calgary now with a new contract. … A really good dude. I really miss him off the ice, too. We played golf together.”

Forward J.T Compher: “A super competitive guy that plays with confidence and has confidence in the room. He was a great teammate. We wish him the best.”

Of course, that friendship doesn’t extend to Thursday night with Colorado (1-0) in its first road test, entering a sea of red at the Flames’ home opener. Calgary is expected to compete for a Pacific Division title with Kadri anchoring the second line. He spoke with SportsNet before the game.

“I’ve got nothing but great things to say about that (Nathan MacKinnon), and that team, and it’s going to be a chore,” Kadri said. “But we can do it.”

Avs defenseman Cale Makar certainly isn’t backing down from the challenge.

“He’s an opposing player now. There’s no friends on the ice for me,” Makar said of Kadri. “I love guys off the ice, and I loved Naz when he was here. But he’s in Calgary now. On the ice, I could really care less.”