Flames rumors: Nazem Kadri open to a trade to Stanley Cup contender

Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri has seen his name swirling in trade rumors for over a calendar year, but the veteran remains with the team he signed a $49 million contract with shortly after winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22.

But with the Flames losers of four straight and falling out of contention in the Western Conference, TSN’s Darren Dreger believes Kadri could be open to a change of scenery — specifically to a contender — ahead of the trade deadline.

“I would describe [a Kadri trade] as a possibility,” Dreger said on Friday’s episode of Insider Trading. “The calendar has flipped, we’re into the second half of the NHL regular season, you’ve got another roster freeze that is looming with the Olympic break, and then you’ve got the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.”

The hockey insider continued: “My sense with Nazem Kadri is this: if an opportunity was presented to go to a top contender in the NHL, then he would be willing to listen to that. The man is 35-years-old and he wants to win a Stanley Cup. He’s not going to push it, and we know that the Calgary Flames have other pieces that are drawing more of the attention from Craig Conroy’s perspective, but the intensity around Kadri is definitely heating up.”

Although Kadri has four years left on a contract that pays him $7 million annually, his full no-movement clause became a 13-team no-trade list this season. That means Calgary’s brass could trade him to 18 teams without his approval.

Nazem Kadri has been a difference-maker for Flames

Although best suited as a 2C on a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, Kadri has been the Flames’ top pivot since coming to Alberta — and he’s been one of the team’s top performers. Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, he’s managed 72 goals and 174 points over 208 games while averaging over 19 minutes of ice per contest.

If Conroy and the front office were to make him available, they would likely get a haul — especially as there is a significant demand around the NHL for proven second-line centers.

That being said, there is no rush to move on from the veteran, as he’s signed through the 2028-29 NHL season. If management doesn’t get a good enough offer before March 6, they could wait until the summer or next year without his price tag diminishing.

Now 18-22-4 and second last in the Pacific Division, the Flames are a full seven points back of the final wildcard berth in the West. The longer the slump continues, probably the more likely the front office would be open to trading the franchise’s best forward.

Calgary is next in action against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday afternoon.

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