NHL Trade Rumors: Nazem Kadri Linked To Flames Rival in Proposed Trade

Earlier on in the offseason, there was a bit of speculation about the future of Nazem Kadri with the Calgary Flames. Could he possibly be on the trade block?

When he signed his big free agent deal in the summer of 2022, the Flames were a contender, having finished the 2021-22 season with 111 points, going 50-21-11, good for 3rd overall in the Western Conference. After a second-round playoff loss, they figured the addition of Stanley Cup winner Kadri would push them to the next level.

It hasn't quite worked out that way. The Flames have torn things down, and finished this past season below the .500 mark and out of the playoffs for the second straight campaign.

With five years remaining at a $7 million cap hit, trading Kadri might be a difficult proposition, but according to reporter Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, Kadri would be "just what the (Winnipeg) Jets need".

The Jets and Flames have almost traded places, with Winnipeg going from out of the playoffs two years ago, to the team that had a tremendous regular season in 2023-24 with 110 points while finishing 2nd overall in the Western Conference. But, like the Flames of two years ago, the playoff success wasn't there.

Enter Kadri, again? Wiebe thinks it "makes sense":

The feisty centre didn’t envision being part of a rebuild when he signed with the Flames and he might be open to a new address depending on how things go this winter.
Kadri plays with a certain swagger the Jets could use a bit more of and his championship pedigree could have a positive influence on a team that’s looking to end a string of playoff disappointments.

The soon-to-be 34-year-old does have a full-no movement clause, so he would have to agree to the deal. But this move would get him back into the 110-point 'contending team' situation he thought he was signing up for two years ago.

Wiebe suggests that a small retention by the Flames, say, $2 million, would be palatable for the Jets' cap situation, both currently and down the road.

He also notes that the Jets showed interest in Kadri before he was dealt from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Colorado Avalanche in 2019. In his last three seasons, he's averaged 27 goals and 73 points, while providing the grit and grind that's needed in the playoffs.

It would be a bold move for the Jets, and one that Wiebe files in the "food for thought" category for now. We'll keep a closer eye on this as the trade deadline approaches, if all remains the same with the fortunes of the Jets, and the rebuilding Flames.