Maple Leafs, Canadiens Among Teams in Pursuit of Flames Star

Now that Rasmus Andersson is officially a Vegas Golden Knight, the focus around the Calgary Flames has shifted squarely to Nazem Kadri and whether he could be the next player moved ahead of the trade deadline.

Despite his preference to remain a Flame, Kadri wants to play playoff hockey and compete for another Stanley Cup. As a result, trade chatter has started to pick up again, with his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and their bitter rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, among the clubs exploring ways to pry him out of Calgary.

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TSN insider Darren Dreger revealed Tuesday that Kadri and GM Craig Conroy have remained in ongoing discussions about how to move forward, adding that Toronto, Montreal, Colorado, Los Angeles, and Dallas have all expressed interest in the veteran center so far.

Dreger said:

“Nazem Kadri wants to do what’s best for the Calgary Flames. But guys, he also wants to chase and win a Stanley Cup. So, I would say there’s developing interest, there’s some tire kicking from Toronto, Montreal, Colorado, LA, maybe the Dallas Stars. But there’s still a lot of work to get done, and there’s no rush as far as Calgary’s concerned,”

The 35-year-old Kadri is in the midst of a down year offensively, having registered 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) in 49 games. He’s currently in year four of the seven-year, $49 million contract he signed to join the Flames in free agency back in 2022.

There Is No Shortage of Interest in Nazem Kadri

Despite being snakebitten for much of the 2025–26 campaign, league-wide interest in Kadri has not dissipated in the slightest.

That’s due not only to the limited number of impactful center options on the market, but also because his $7 million average annual salary over the next three seasons looks increasingly reasonable in a rising-cap environment. For example, centermen Alexander Wennberg and Christian Dvorak recently signed extensions worth $6 million and $5.15 million per year, respectively, and while they’re solid players, Kadri is in a much different tier.

All five teams Dreger mentioned make sense as potential fits, but the list of suitors doesn’t end there. Minnesota, New Jersey, and even Florida have also been linked to Kadri at various points this season, and there are almost certainly others lurking.

So if the Maple Leafs or Canadiens truly want to land Kadri, they’ll need to pony up with a strong offer — because there will be no shortage of competition in these sweepstakes.

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