The Flames are in no rush to move Kadri
It’s been a disappointing start to the season for the Calgary Flames, to say the least. After earning 96 points and barely missing the playoffs last year, Calgary entered this year with their sights on 100 points and a postseason berth. After 11 games, Flames fans may need to adjust their expectations. Calgary has won just two games so far, and their five points puts them dead last in the NHL.
The prospect of a losing season opens the possibility of being “sellers” ahead of the trade deadline, in the hopes of recouping assets for players that don’t fit into a team’s future plans. For the Flames, a player that seemingly fits that description is Nazem Kadri. The 35-year-old center has plenty of postseason experience, and would be a welcome addition to any team looking for help down the middle. As Calgary’s current leading scorer, Kadri is still a productive player, meaning he could fetch an enticing return on the trade market.
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta to discuss the chances of Kadri getting moved this season.
Hutton: “Nazem Kadri, where do we see him going or are there any rumors around him? Because he seems like that typical playoff player that you’re going to need come playoff time.”
Pagnotta: “There’s a lot of teams that would love to get their hands on him, but this is a delicate situation. Because Calgary’s in the crapper right now, everyone’s going to zero in on them and say it has to be Kadri. Obviously there’s Rasmus Andersson and he’s got a few teams that he would go to in terms of signing an extension right away. But who’s the other big fish? And everyone’s zeroing in on Kadri. Everyone thought at the start of the season he had a full no-move, but it’s a 13-team no-trade list that everyone thought kicked in next season. It’s now. Those elements have escalated the speculation and the inquiries. The thing is, he’s got three more years left on his contract, and he really does, he and his family really do like being in Calgary. So this isn’t a scenario where he’s on an expiring deal or there’s another year left on his contract and the Flames, given their situation, may have to escalate things and strike while the iron’s hot, so to speak. They’ve got time. Unless someone is going to overpay for Nazem Kadri, he’s probably staying in Calgary.”
You can catch the rest of the segment and the full episode here….