With all due respect to Kyle Dubas’ failure to re-sign Zach Hyman, the decision to move on from Nazem Kadri was probably his biggest blunder involving an established roster player. Maybe because of that blunder the is overwhelming interest amongst a corner of Toronto Maple Leafs fandom that there is a desire to right that wrong even though Kadri is now a 35-year-old signed to a $7M AAV contract until he’s 38. At one time Brad Treliving thought that deal was a good idea, maybe he could again.
The Kadri situation is complicated because there are a lot of hurt feelings involved. Kadri was hurt by the Leafs, and whether or not it was Dubas or Brendan Shanahan who was responsible for the decision to part ways with Kadri, neither are with the organization anymore and that awkwardness level is gone.
The much more real hurt might be the divide between the Calgary Flames and Brad Treliving. In theory you’d think that front offices would adopt the “it’s not personal, it’s business” philosophy, but in practice business tends to involve a lot of emotional and spiteful decisions, and unless the Flames feel they have an opportunity to fleece the Maple Leafs, a deal might not even be possible. For the sake of not wrapping up this post at 200 words, we’ll assume the Flames and Treliving can get past their feelings.
Why the Leafs should be interested in Kadri
The first reason, before getting into the meat of who Kadri is as a player, is that options are limited. The unicorn of a 2o-something with blazing speed that could one day push for a 100-point season isn’t likely to show up on the trade market and if they do, the Leafs who are without a first round pick for the next couple of seasons aren’t going to be the highest bidder. Making concessions around speed, salary, and age will be important, and Toronto can’t sit out the option of looking at Kadri.
Now as for Kadri as a player, there are a lot of pluses here. Kadri might not skate fast but he moves the puck fast and that’s a good start for Toronto.
Kadri being a centre is also a huge plus. That gives Toronto a lot of flexibility with either moving Kadri or Tavares to the wing.
Kadri being a puck mover/carrier is another asset for the Leafs and while he’s not Marner, he might be the best Marner-lite option out there. He’s not Nylander when carrying the puck but he moves the puck nearly as well and ensures that the Leafs’ top nine forwards aren’t forced into a dump and chase mentality. Kadri also brings a bit more 200-foot responsibility to the forward group, although by no means a penalty killer or being close to Marner’s defensive aptitude.
The big thing that Kadri brings that both Berube and Treliving crave is a bit more sandpaper. Kadri plays with an edge and when he’s not serving suspensions for that edge, he’s usually drawing the opposition into taking penalties against him. If caring is defined by how much a player shoves opponents after the whistle, Kadri will care a lot.
Why the Flames would deal with the Leafs
The short answer is that with a 13 team no trade list, the Leafs might be one of the best options on it.
Things might be a lot easier if Kadri still had a full no movement clause and was dictating who he would accept a trade to. In theory, Toronto would be a good option out of next to none in that situation. A 13 team no trade list gives the Flames a lot more flexibility and it’s easy to see how there would be 17 teams in the NHL looking to add at centre but Darren Ferris, Kadri’s agent, is pretty crafty and if he has tailored the list to be playoff contention teams in the Eastern Conference (minus the few that Kadri would want to play for) and leaving the possible trade destinations as rebuilding clubs that won’t trade Calgary the futures they would want for Kadri or teams in the Pacific that Calgary would not want to improve, it is likely the list of teams that want to and are able to make a trade with the Flames is far more limited.
The Flames also have a potential advantage in that Brad Treliving might be one of the GMs that values Kadri the most. He is the GM that brought Kadri to Calgary and it is possible he’d pay the highest price to get him back. (This speculation should concern Leafs fans somewhat.)
And while the Leafs might not have first round picks in the next couple of seasons, the Leafs do have youthful assets that might hold some appeal and if Calgary is able to get out of multiyear $7M commitment without taking back a similar commitment. Players like Bobby McMann, Nick Robertson, and Calle Jarnkrok would allow the Leafs to free up salary by sending them out west and are either useable or flipable options for the Flames.
The Leafs also have the ability to offer up a goaltending prospect, which now that Dustin Wolf has graduated to the NHL, is position of need in the Flames prospect pool. There may also be some interest in close to NHL ready assets like Jacob Quillan or a high upside target like Miroslav Holinka. And with the Flames already selecting twice in the first round this year, potentially they are willing to wait until 2028 for the Leafs first rounder, especially since another first round pick will likely be part of the return for Rasmus Andersson.
Feasibility
Odds are these clubs still aren’t interesting in doing business together. And odds are that the Leafs don’t have a path to making Kadri’s salary fit in under the cap. There are also pretty good odds that one of the 17 possible teams that Kadri could be traded to has a more enticing first round pick option or prospects better suited to Calgary’s needs. And maybe I’m just a Leafs fan who looks longingly at the Kadri jersey hanging in the back of his closet hoping to bring it out again.
If not Kadri for the Leafs, Brad Treliving needs to consider Nazem a bit of a model for the ideal Leafs target. Rather than hoping someone who could be elevated to a top line, someone who comfortably fits on the top line. Someone who can move the puck comfortably, and perhaps a player that comes with additional perks like term on their contract, play centre, and has a physical or gritty element to their game. It’s a lot to hope for and that’s why trying Kadri makes sense.
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