The Flames have returned to a place they’ve been before: the mushy middle. That has quieted the noise around the veterans in the public sphere, but it hasn’t quieted the conversations in NHL front offices. The Flames continue their plan to get younger and more skilled while remaining competitive. One of the names mentioned is Nazem Kadri, who is now 35 and still has a three-year contract.
An anonymous league source said this The Win Column that the Flames could get a higher return for Nazem Kadri right now than the San Jose Sharks got when they traded Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights a few years ago. They did not indicate whether retaining Kadri’s contract would be a factor in the deal. However, they did note that the majority of teams are looking for upgrades in the middle, and there are virtually no teams willing to engage as sellers, which would impact returns in the current market. Kadri is the type of player who changes the dynamic of a team and has shown he can compete night in and night out.
A refresher on the Tomas Hertl trip to Vegas
A few deadlines ago, the Sharks and Golden Knights made noise close to the trade deadline. Hertl was mentioned as a trade target for the rebuilding Sharks, but at 30 years old with six years left on his contract with an AAV of 8.137 million, it would be a difficult deal to complete. But Vegas being Vegas, they made it happen and added key center depth alongside Jack Eichel and William Karlsson.
The trade was as follows: Tomas Hertl (17% retained), plus San Jose’s 2025 and 2027 third-round picks in exchange for a 2025 Vegas first-round pick and prospect David Edstrom.
Interestingly, the Sharks dealt both Edstrom and the 2025 first-rounder to the Nashville Predators for goaltender Yaroslav Askarov and a 2025 third-rounder. So they traded Hertl and a 2027 3rd-rounder for Askarov, who appears to be the Sharks’ elite goaltender of the future. I’m sure if you asked the Sharks if they could do those two moves again, they would.
Should the Flames move Kadri this year?
Kadri has a 13-team no-trade list, so there are a lot of options if the Flames want to move him. The source would not specify which teams are interested in Kadri, other than to say the list of teams interested is very long. They didn’t leave out the Montreal Canadiens when I personally brought them up. We’ve heard some talk about the Minnesota Wild, although it’s not clear if they’re on Kadri’s trade list or not.
Going by the framework this source mentions, I would imagine the Flames could get a first-round pick and a prospect for Kadri at this point, with the likelihood of a higher return if the Flames were to keep some money on Kadri’s deal. The majority of fans believed the Flames should explore a Kadri trade this summer. Should they pull the trigger if they could get the package as described here?
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