Report: Flames & Nazem Kadri Have Mutual Interest in Trade to East Team

The Calgary Flames are going nowhere anytime soon, and everything points toward the franchise looking into keeping their rebuild going for one more season.

According to a report from The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, appearing on NHL Network on August 27 , the Flames are willing to part ways with veteran center Nazem Kadri.

While Kadri has a full no-movement clause in his contract, Pagnotta notes that this may not be a significant hurdle, as Kadri is open to the idea of moving further East if a trade materializes.

"You have Nazem Kadri, who they are willing to trade," Pagnotta said. "Kadri has a no-movement clause, (but) my understanding is he would be willing to go 'a little bit more East,' not necessarily back home to Toronto, but somewhere in that vicinity."

Kadri joined the Flames in the summer of 2022 after winning a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. The fact that Pagnotta also name-dropped Toronto in his report is because of Kadri's ties with the Maple Leafs.

The Maple Leafs drafted Kadri with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NHL draft, and the forward spent the first 10 years of his career with the franchise before Toronto traded him to the Avalanche in July 2019.

Last year, playing with the Flames for the second season since arriving in Calgary, Kadri led the team with 75 points and finished third in goal-scoring terms with 29 goals while playing all 82 games.

Despite his productivity, the Flames are considering trading Kadri as part of their broader strategy to acquire future assets amid their ongoing rebuilding effort. The Flames have missed the playoffs on back-to-back years since making the second round for the last time in 2022.

A Kadri trade wouldn't be shocking, considering the franchise already traded superstar defenseman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars and star forward Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks before the trade deadline last year.

Kadri will be 34 at the start of next season while still having five years remaining on his current deal, carrying a cap hit of $7 million per season, per PuckPedia .

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