According to Nick Kypreos, the Montreal Canadiens are among the two teams that would interest current Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri.

Kadri, 34, is one of the few decent centres available for trade according to Sportsnet’s Summer Trade Board.

“Several teams are looking for a scoring centremen, a premium position that dried up quickly in free agency.” explained Kypreos. ” Given how thin the market is for centres and how well he played last season, Nazem Kadri’s stock has never been higher if Flames general manager Craig Conroy chooses to pull the trigger. ”

According to Kypreos, the other team in the mix happens to be the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“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.”

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Even though Kadri has a reputation for erratic decisions on the ice, which often leads to poorly-timed penalties and suspensions, his actual on-ice results are quite good for an older player.

On top of scoring 35 goals and 32 assists last year, his underlying numbers were solid, connoting that he’s bucked the usual aging decline quite well in the last few seasons. Simply put, he’s on the right side of 50 percent for a bevy of key statistics, including short control and expected goals.

For a team such as the Canadiens, landing a player with Kadri’s talent would be a godsend, making this a relatively interesting proposal.

The Habs clearly need an upgrade down the middle of the ice, as evidenced by their projected forward lines.  However, they aren’t without options, as both Kirby Dach and Zachary Bolduc have some experience playing as centres. Unfortunately, Bolduc’s experience was in the QMJHL, while Dach struggled to maintain reasonable underlying numbers prior to his latest season-ending injury.

Adding Kadri to the mix would represent a significant upgrade from a talent standpoint, but beyond his temper, he was signed to a very expensive contract by the Flames in 2022. Kadri’s current contract carries a $7 million annual average value (AAV), and runs until 2028-29. That means Kadri will still be on the books by the time he’s 38, a clear red flag for a team that has avoided acquiring aging veterans since general manager Kent Hughes took over.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Kadri is a non-starter due to his age, but you’d be hard-pressed to convince Hughes that he should spend valuable assets on a player who is on the wrong side of 30 years old. It’s even less likely he’d be willing to get into a bidding war with a team like the Leafs for Kadri’s services, that’s simply not his preferred modus operandi.