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Four potential trade destinations for Flames forward Nazem Kadri

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
Nov 6, 2025, 13:54 EST
Four potential trade destinations for Flames forward Nazem Kadri
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri played in his 1,000th career NHL game on Wednesday evening. The veteran center has been the subject of frequent trade rumors as the Flames have gotten off to a poor start this season, and he showed exactly why he could become one of the most coveted players on the market with a vintage performance at the Saddledome on his big night.

Once thought to be virtually untradeable with a contract running through 2029 that carries a $7 million cap hit, Kadri has gradually settled into a rhythm over his four seasons in Calgary. The London, Ont. product set a career high with 35 goals in 82 games during the 2024-25 season and currently leads the Flames with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) through 15 games this year.

Kadri scored a beautiful goal off a 2-on-1 rush with Joel Farabee midway through the second period of Wednesday’s game, becoming the second player in Flames history (and the 62nd overall) to score a goal in his 1,000th career game.

Earlier in the season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman made it crystal clear that the Flames had no intention of moving Kadri prior to his 1,000th game celebration. That has now come to pass, and even after winning their last two, the Flames remain in the NHL’s basement with a 4-9-2 record through 15 games.

With the market for centers being as hot as it is, the Flames might have a unique opportunity to sell high on a 35-year-old with nearly four full years of term remaining on his contract. Kadri already has a Stanley Cup ring in his trophy case, but it wouldn’t be in his fiercely competitive nature to want to stop there. And while he does have the ability to reject trades to 13 different teams, Kadri’s contract still affords the Flames a fair bit of flexibility if they do choose to move him.

Of course, Flames ownership has never been particularly keen on allowing the team to embrace a full teardown-type rebuild, and there have already been reports to suggest they aren’t overly keen on changing up their core. Nevertheless, as the Flames enter a critical segment of their season, here are four teams that make sense as potential trade destinations for Kadri.

Montreal Canadiens

At the opposite end of the spectrum from the Flames sit the surging Montreal Canadiens, who currently lead the entire Eastern Conference with a 9-3-1 record despite inconsistent goaltending and so-so performances from some of their depth pieces. That’s what star power will do for you, and the Habs have it in spades with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson.

Montreal’s biggest hole is at the No. 2 center position, where they’ve had Kirby Dach line up for much of the season to date. Dach scored a pair of goals against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday but is better suited as a bottom-six option on a good team, as opposed to Kadri, who has already proven he can thrive in that exact spot on a contender. Even at 35, Kadri is a stellar puck carrier who excels in transition and zone entries, two things the Canadiens rely upon to help them play fast and engaging hockey. It’s not hard to envision him fitting in like a glove.

The Canadiens have a bit of an unusual salary cap structure, with Patrik Laine currently sitting as their highest-paid forward and Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher making $12 million between them for the next two seasons. All this is to say they’d have the means to send out money to accommodate Kadri’s contract if necessary. Kadri is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve; he would feed off the Bell Centre crowd in the absolute best way. And on the other side of things, they’d have plenty of picks and prospects the Flames would want.

Vancouver Canucks

The vibes in Montreal have been nothing short of immaculate to start the 2025-26 season. It hasn’t been nearly as rosy for the Vancouver Canucks, who are off to a 7-8-0 start that can best be described as “blah.” Elias Pettersson is off to another pedestrian start, Evander Kane has underwhelmed, and only Kiefer Sherwood has truly exceeded expectations. By no means are the Canucks out of it entirely, but they’re only four points ahead of the Flames, which says a lot.

One of the biggest down notes for the Canucks this season has been the absence of Filip Chytil, who remains in concussion protocol after sustaining yet another head injury just six games in. It’s an unfortunate reality, but at this point, the Canucks can’t rely on Chytil to be a regular presence in their lineup in the near or distant future with all he’s been through.

As of Thursday, the Canucks’ center depth chart reads as follows: Pettersson, Lukas Reichel, Aatu Räty, Max Sasson. That’s just not good enough for a team looking to make noise in the Pacific Division — and, more importantly, to convince Quinn Hughes to stick around beyond next season. Kadri loves playing in Western Canada, and the Flames and Canucks already have a strong recent track record of trading with each other. But a lot will boil down to whether the Canucks are willing to move picks, and if the Flames are willing to send Kadri to one of their biggest rivals.

Winnipeg Jets

If there’s one guy in the league whose style of play is perfectly suited to playing in front of a rabid fan base, it’s Kadri, which is why the Winnipeg Jets are the third Canadian team on this list. The Jets, hockey’s reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, are off to another strong start but still have the same weakness down the middle behind Mark Scheifele that they’ve worked repeatedly to address over the years.

What makes this year a little different is that the Jets are now also without Nikolaj Ehlers, a superb transition player in his own right who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent this past summer. At 9-4-0 through 13 games, it’s safe to say they’ve been able to make do thus far, but as the games become more and more meaningful, the Jets will continue to run the risk of being exposed as too top-heavy. Right now, it really feels like they have a forward group consisting of Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabe Vilardi, and “the rest.”

Between Paul Stastny, Kevin Hayes, Sean Monahan, and now Jonathan Toews, the Jets have tried again and again to strengthen their center position since they first rose to prominence with this core nearly a decade ago. Toews, the incumbent behind Scheifele at the moment, has done reasonably well after a two-year sabbatical but, at 37, is better suited for a smaller role at this point. Adding Kadri would address two areas of need at once, giving the Jets a high-quality secondary option down the middle while also replacing some of Ehlers’ puck-carrying ability.

Colorado Avalanche

We meet again? The Colorado Avalanche know all about what Kadri can bring to a team, considering that they wouldn’t have won the Stanley Cup in 2022 without his incredible playoff performances. There’s been a Kadri-sized hole in the Colorado lineup ever since he left in 2022 to sign with the Flames. With all due respect to Brock Nelson, whom they paid a pretty penny to acquire from the New York Islanders last trade deadline, the Avs sitill don’t have anybody who can replicate the unique blend of skill, competitiveness, and consistency that exemplifies Kadri to this day.

Like the Jets, the Avalanche are off to a great start largely on the strength of their stars, with Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and Cale Makar all up at 18 points or more through the first 14 games. But the secondary scoring is still very much a work in progress, and that extends to Nelson, who has just three goals and five points thus far. The Avs are pretty close to being capped out, which means it certainly won’t be easy for them to fit a big-ticket player like Kadri into their lineup, but the Chris MacFarland-Joe Sakic duo has shown a willingness to be creative and aggressive to achieve their goals.

Are the Avs stocked with the assets the Flames will undoubtedly covet in any Kadri deal? No, they’re not. They already moved Calum Ritchie to get Nelson from the Islanders last year, and Nelson’s new contract extension — worth $500,000 more annually than Kadri’s deal — will make it tricky. But you can bet Kadri would love a reunion with his old friends in the Mile High City, and it’s certainly not as though the Avs have nothing of value to part with. If they’re determined to make it work, they’ll be able to put forth something compelling. If anything, it might be up to the Flames to decide whether they want to say yes.

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POST SPONSORED BY bet365

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