Nazem Kadri has been another player who has been at the centre of trade rumors lately. While it’s going to take a lot for the Calgary Flames to trade him, it makes a lot of sense for the team’s future given where they’re headed.
One team Kadri has been connected to is the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, I think it’s safe to say that just isn’t a realistic scenario. The Leafs have little to no assets to offer, and it’s unlikely the Flames will do business with them for a while. Throughout all this Leafs noise, another team has now entered the Kadri rumor mill, that being the Montreal Canadiens.
So could the Montreal Canadiens be a realistic landing spot for Kadri? Would the fit make sense? Let’s look more into this idea.
Kadri could be willing to waive his NMC for Montreal
All this talk surrounding the Canadiens and Kadri comes from Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos. In his written trade board article, Kypreos indicates that the lack of premium centres on the trade market could make Kadri an attractive option. Here’s what he says:
“John Tavares never got to the open market, but he would have been the perfect barometer for seeing how much teams were willing to spend for a scoring centre to fill a void. That is the main reason why I’ve added Nazem Kadri to my list. Given how thin the market is for centres and how well he played last season, Kadri’s stock has never been higher if Flames general manager Craig Conroy chooses to pull the trigger. Two teams that Kadri continues to be linked to that he appears willing to lift his no-move clause for are the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.”
Now, since it’s Kypreos, we should all take it with a grain of salt. However, the idea of Kadri waiving his NMC to go to Montreal isn’t too far-fetched. He’d remain in Canada and would be closer to home, and also would be playing for a team that is just entering its competitive window. Kadri would be a great finishing touch to the Canadiens’ rebuild and would be a great veteran presence for their young, competitive core.
Why Kadri would make sense for Montreal
Any team would love to have a Kadri-type player on their roster. Not only does he provide offence, but he brings that additional snarl and overall competitiveness which allow him to thrive in playoff settings. Kadri scored a career high of 35 goals this season, despite being 34 years old.
Looking at the Canadiens, they broke their four-year playoff drought, likely marking the end of their rebuild. Montreal is now looking to be a perennial playoff team, and adding a player like Kadri into the mix would only strengthen them. Additionally, the Canadiens are also looking for a second-line centre to play behind Nick Suzuki, yet again making Kadri the perfect candidate.
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Laine – KADRI – Demidov
Bolduc – Dach OR Newhook – Anderson
Gallagher – Evans – Kapanen
Montreal also has more assets to offer in a Kadri trade than a team like Toronto would. They still have a boatload of draft picks and prospects, and it’s likely at this stage the Canadiens would entertain moving futures for win-now help. Montreal is also closer to contention than where the Flames are.
What would a potential trade look like?
Let’s say the Canadiens were interested in Kadri, and he was willing to waive his trade protection to go there. The question remains about what a trade would even look like between the two teams. It’s possible, but it wouldn’t be the easiest deal to formulate…
The problems
As of the time of this article, the Canadians are currently $4.5 million over the salary cap. In order for any trade to happen, Montreal would need to clear money. Whether it’s in a Kadri trade or in a separate deal.
Speaking of money, Kadri’s cap hit per season is $7 million. He makes that amount for four more years, so the Flames would need to retain salary. It’s a lot of money for a player in his mid-30s to make, despite the cap going up. Also, it would be a hard sell to Flames ownership to retain salary for four more years.
There’s also the straight-up chance that Kadri declines as he gets older. Would Montreal be willing to give up future assets for a player who’s past their prime? Yes, he did have a career year in the goalscoring department, but eventually, age will always catch up to certain players.
What assets would the Flames look at?
There’s no doubt that Kadri’s value right now is the highest it’s ever been in a while. In any trade involving him, the Flames would be asking for significant assets in return.
Starting with draft picks, a first-round pick is the starting point. Luckily for the Flames, Montreal has all their firsts in the next three drafts. They essentially have a pick in every round of the draft, which is useful on the trade front. The Flames would likely ask for the Canadiens’ 2026 or 2027 first-rounders as a starting point. Then it goes into prospects and roster players.
Prospects-wise, the Canadiens still have a pretty significant pool. They have intriguing forward prospects in Owen Beck and Michael Hage, although I think Beck would likely be the player they’d rather part with than Hage right now. There are other prospects as well, but those are the two that stood out to me who the Flames could be interested in.
Finally, there are roster players. I think to make the money work, the Flames may have to take on a contract for Kadri’s salary (even when retained) to be accommodated on the Canadiens’ roster. The two players that stand out to me are Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach. Maybe the Flames agree to take on a player like Dach, who’s in the final year of his contract making $3.36 million. Yes I know Dach isn’t the main return you want, but he could just be a salary dump the Flames could flip at the deadline for more assets if he had a good year.
Final thoughts
So how realistic would a Kadri trade between the Canadiens and Flames be? It’d be more realistic than trading with the Leafs, but there would have to be major cap gymnastics done for the money to work. With that being said, if Kadri is willing to go to Montreal, it would be a suitable destination for him. I’d rather he spend the last few years of his career playing meaningful games than playing for a team that has been basking in the glory of mediocrity. That’s up to Kadri to decide though.
If he is willing to move, the Flames need to test the market for him. It would be wise to get assets for a player who isn’t going to be around by the time the team is truly a contender. They’d also be doing Kadri a solid by giving him the chance to chase another Cup. Either way, Kadri offers valuable qualities to a rebuilding team, but ultimately, he’s the kind of player you’d rather see delivering clutch goals in the postseason.
