It seems like another Calgary Flames veteran has joined the trade rumor mill. It’s being reported by David Pagnotta from TheFourthPeriod that Nazem Kadri may be another trade piece for the team. Darren Dreger of TSN adds: “Teams are calling the Flames with interest in Nazem Kadri, however, Calgary isn’t in a full tear down. They’re trying to reset their roster and Kadri is a big part of that. He also has a No Move and likes Calgary.”
Kadri is 33 years old and has five more years on his contract that pays him $7 million per season.
The Flames centerman had one of his strongest seasons this year, scoring 29 goals and 75 points in 82 games. The talk around Kadri has been the idea of him embracing a mentorship role with the Flames as the team goes through this next phase. However, Kadri’s desire to remain competitive still stands. In his post-season media availability, Kadri expresses the desire to remain competitive and for the team to be back in the playoff hunt.
“It was a frustrating season, a disappointing one, but hopefully over the summertime we can look to upgrade certain positions, and have another crack at it.”
Based on the moves the Flames have made these last few months, their likelihood of being a playoff team is pretty low. Why not cash in on more of your assets? If Kadri desires to go to a contender, the team likely move him sooner rather than later. It’s tough to imagine that he would want to stick around during a rebuild.
Kadri’s value right now is pretty substantial and he would be a good center option for a contender’s second line. His contract is high, but salary retention is an option due to the amount of cap space the Flames have.
Flames Fully Embracing The Rebuild?
It’s hard to call the Flames’ situation a “retool” anymore. With the recent Andrew Mangiapane trade, the Flames only have 5 players remaining from the 2021-2022 season.
Conroy’s moves are a refreshing sight for Flames fans. The team is finally building towards an end goal instead of “winging it” every season. Building through the draft is the top priority for the team and it excites many fans for what the future could hold.
The Flames currently have about $29 million in cap space this summer. Whether they chose to weaponize it or make some additions in free agency, lots of uncertainty is still yet to be solved.
Next: Steven Stamkos Heads to Free Agency, No Deal With Lightning
