Flames Receiving Inquiries on Former Maple Leafs Forward Nazem Kadri Amid Roster Reset; Should Toronto Look to Re-Acquire Him?
Kadri was drafted by the Leafs seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and spent 10 seasons with the organization.
Could a reunion come into play?
Though the Calgary Flames are said not to be rebuilding, the organization is in what they are calling a “reset”. With plenty of turnover and no shortage of transactions over the last year, it shouldn’t come as a major surprise that multiple teams are rumored to be showing significant interest in acquiring former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri.
However, as mentioned, Calgary is not in a full teardown mode; instead, they are looking to reshape their team with Kadri playing a crucial role in their plans. As reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, this hasn’t prevented teams from inquiring about the 33-year-old.
“Teams are calling the Flames with interest in Nazem Kadri, however, Calgary isn’t in a full teardown. They’re trying to reset their roster and Kadri is a big part of that. He also has a No-Move and likes Calgary,” Dreger wrote on ‘X’ Friday.
As Dreger points out, Kadri has a complete no-movement clause over the next two years of his contract, followed by a modified no-movement clause with a 13-team no-trade list starting in 2026-27 for the remaining three years. In total, the London, Ontario, native, still has five years remaining on a seven-year, $49 million contract he signed with now Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving in 2022.
Besides, Kadri has expressed contentment with his situation in Calgary, complicating any potential trade talks. His preference to stay with the Flames adds another layer of difficulty for interested teams trying to pry him away. Ever since Treliving arrived in Toronto in the summer of 2023, any deal with the Flames has been shot down and difficult to materialize, i.e. Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Jacob Markstrom – all three were sent elsewhere. Though Kadri could be a great fit with the Leafs, the same could be said with his situation.
Kadri, who was drafted by the Leafs seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and spent 10 seasons with the organization, was traded in 2019 to the Colorado Avalanche for Tyson Barrie and Alex Kerfoot. At the time, Kadri had five suspensions from 2013-2019, including a team-imposed suspension in 2015. Perhaps the most notorious was when he was suspended in back-to-back postseasons against the Boston Bruins (2018, 2019) – that was the final straw.
Despite this, he was a fan favorite who played for the emblem on the front rather than the name on the back. Now revisiting the trade, the Leafs could use a player like Kadri in 2024, a Stanley Cup Champion and a forward who plays with a passionate edge. As the team searches for a new identity, with new coaching and management since then, Kadri easily fits the mold and could be a great addition to the team’s top six up the middle.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkuc_njIDII[/embed]
As a player who has now gone the distance with the Avalanche in 2022, playing a crucial role in that run, Kadri would be a significant upgrade for the Leafs upfront if they could make the money work. With an estimated $19.7 million in cap space according to Puckpedia.com, and the need to address other areas of the ice, the Leafs would have to pull some strings while considering the other moves that would prevent them from making it work.
In his time with the Leafs, he played in 561 regular season games and scored 161 goals while adding 196 assists. In the postseason, he appeared in 19 games, scoring three goals paired with seven assists.
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