NHL Trade Talk Podcast – Ep. 8 – Kadri Signs With Flames

On this episode, Brooke and Jim talk about the news that Nazem Kadri has signed a seven-year deal with the Calgary Flames. Instead of going to the New York Islanders as many insiders had predicted, Kadri signs with Flames, potentially completing a massive turnaround for a franchise that many believed was dead in the water when Mathew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau left the organization.

We also talk about the Sean Monahan trade to the Montreal Canadiens and whether that will be a difference-maker in this deal.

Kadri held his press conference after signing the deal with the Flames and noted, “Ultimately, it’s about winning, about being a contender. I feel that that played a huge factor in me coming to Calgary – understanding that the time is now. It certainly could be close with the moves we’ve made and me hopping on board. I’m excited to meet the guys.” The suggestion here seems to be that he watched as the Flames made a number of moves after losing Johnny Gaudreau and Mathew Tkachuk and said that this team was headed in the right direction and that he wanted to be a part of it.

One has to wonder, however, how much of his taking this amount of time to sign had to do with the way free agency played out for him? Did his strategy backfire a little or was this always his plan? We’ll talk about that too.