Kadri ushers in a new challenge against a familiar opponent in Flames’ season opener

CALGARY – As an opener, he will face off against Nathan MacKinnon.

Two nights later his assignment will be Connor McDavid.

Nazem Kadri admits these are the jobs he chose, which are two of the main reasons the 32-year-old center was signed by the Calgary Flames as the club’s summer icing on the cake.

But before all of that, Kadri will be presented with a reward far greater than the $49 million he signed for here: his Stanley Cup ring.

The 18.5-carat bullet he’s seen and read about online is handed to him by his former Avalanche teammates hours before his Flames debut and slipped onto his finger.

“I just felt like a little kid, I was very dizzy and excited,” he said of his reaction when teammates sent him photos and videos from Monday’s private dinner ceremony, where the players presented their 669-diamond keepsakes in a received a box that features a replay of the players ceremoniously jumping onto the ice as it opens.

“You look fantastic. I think they did a great job with them. I’ve seen a lot of angles, they look pretty cute.

“Something we’ve earned and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”

How perfect that the moment he’s been dreaming of all summer will come as part of a Disney-like opening game.

“It seems like somehow the story just keeps getting better and better,” beamed Kadri, whose dramatic return from a playoff injury, the celebratory invitation for doubters to kiss his ass and trophy day at his mosque near London have repeatedly put him in the limelight.

“I obviously didn’t plan it (playing the Avs first).

“I looked at the schedule after signing with Calgary and saw the first duel. It’s a bit ironic, but at the end of the day it’s also nice to get over it and work on getting two points.”

Kadri, who was heralded as the most desirable free agent on the market without the Gaudreau name this summer, spent much time debating his next target as several suitors coveted his delicious mix of grit, offense, defense, leadership and experience .

A classic Darryl Sutter guy whose ability to limit the damage done by the conference’s top centers had a ton to do with Brad Treliving’s months-long quest to move mountains and (Sean) Monahan to get him here.

“I love it — I’d rather not do it any other way,” he said when asked about opening in Calgary for a double dose of hockey god.

“I suppose so.

“I know us as a team, but as a player I want to play against the best and with the best. It brings out the best in me.”

Certainly last spring when he was chasing an 87-point campaign with seven big goals and 15 points in 16 playoff fights.

And that he ended the journey with a vital goal in the final after returning from a thumb injury, many believe most players’ forthcoming comeback hopes would have been shelved.

During his three-year stint in Denver, the former Maple Leaf learned the final lessons he needed to rise to hockey’s highest honor — something Sutter hopes “Naz” will instill in his bulging pile.

Could he be ready to share how he intends to shut down the Great Nate?

“It’s a secret,” laughed Kadri, who will start the year with the tenacity of Andrew Mangiapane on his right and Dillon Dube on his left.

“Luckily I’ve faced him in training for the past few years and it’s not easy. He’s a great player and certainly a tough competitor and wants to win more than anything.

“I have nothing but great things to say about this guy and this team and it’s going to be a chore.

“But we can do it.”

Kadri’s presence in the middle gives the Flames the kind of strength and versatility in the middle the franchise hasn’t had since the early ’90s.

On any given night, Sutter now has the luxury of using Mikael Backlund’s line (alongside Blake Coleman and Trevor Lewis Thursday) as his main shutdown trio, while remaining confident that Kadri’s line, or that of Selke Trophy finalist Elias Lindholm’s task have grown.

When asked why he thinks Flames fans will fall in love with Kadri from the start, Sutter smiled.

“Old school,” Sutter said.

“Show up for work. Think identity here, hard work and honest players. He’s a hard worker and an honest player.”

Comfortably immersed in a cramped dressing room that welcomed him and his toolbox, Kadri’s goal now is to quickly find chemistry with his linemates and understand a system that’s bespoke to his skill set and attitude.

Kadri, rallied by Sutter for an on-ice confab on Wednesday with fellow Cup winners Lewis, Tyler Toffoli, Blake Coleman and Milan Lucic, is set to set the tone he expects from them.

“It was more a matter of leadership, leading by example, and we expect that of ourselves,” said Kadri, who was excited when Colorado’s banner was unveiled on television Wednesday night.

“Just making sure everyone is on the same page.

“I can’t wait to get started.”