Flames' Nazem Kadri is Happy Darryl Sutter's Out in Calgary

Nazem Kadri is happy there's a new bench boss in Calgary and he's hoping the Flames offense will be heating up because of it. The veteran centre wasn't completely pleased with himself in his first season in Calgary and it sure sounds like Darryl Sutter may have been the rain cloud holding out all the fun.

Kadri caught up with NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger recently and had this to say about the new chapter in Calgary, one in which everyone seems very excited about:

I think a lot of guys on the team are ready to kind of play to their potential. For whatever reason, we got a little restricted last year, so I'm just looking forward to a clean slate and starting the year off strong. Any time you get fresh faces, it's just a new energy and a new enthusiasm. So, of course, with the type of personnel we have, we can play creative. We have a lot of skill.

In his first season in Calgary after signing a seven-year $49 million contract, Kadri put up 24 goals and 56 points in 82 games. It was a 31 point drop from the previous season in Colorado and Kadri is blaming Sutter for holding him back creatively and the rest of his teammates for that matter.

The Flames now turn to Ryan Huska behind the bench who is open to running a run-and-gun offense and with the talent up front in Calgary, that may be a good idea. 

Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports