From Bench Depth to Trade Buzz — Kadri Talk Heats Up Amid Canadiens Injuries

With the Montréal Canadiens’ injuries piling up, I suspect they will inquire about the services of Kadri from the Calgary Flames. As of this writing, Kadri has not yet been made available on the market. Now, as you know, things could change overnight. Trust me, with the Calgary Flames, things can change on a thin dime. It’s happened before.

The Calgary Flames have shown improvement in the last two games. They totally shut down the San Jose Sharks, and it might have been one of the easiest shutouts Wolf has ever had. I would go so far as to say it might have been the team’s most complete game of the year. The key point of the game was that the forwards came down to help the defence, and everybody worked as a unit to succeed. Offensively, they still cannot score, but at least defensively, they covered up and never allowed the Sharks to do much.

In the Winnipeg Jets game, the Flames were not very good defensively. They went back to silly mistakes, mental breakdowns, and then leaving Dustin Wolf to the dogs. (See what I did there?) The positive side is that each time the Winnipeg Jets took a lead, the Calgary Flames fought back to tie the game. That is a huge improvement compared to previous games, when they just gave up and went through the motions. In this game, the Calgary Flames never gave up. This is all positive, offering the coach and staff areas for improvement.

Yan Kuznetsov

Yan has really fit in nicely. He has done everything he has been asked to do. Dare I suggest the Calgary Flames have finally found a third-pairing defenceman who can actually play defence?

Emil Heineman

I got a call from my source asking me if I remembered who the throw-in piece was in the Sam Bennett trade. It seems like we’ve heard his name before. Yeah, I’m being facetious. Emil Heineman has been blowing up the Islanders with nine goals and six assists in 21 games. Calgary basically let him go for nothing in the Tyler Toffoli trade. This goes to show how important the scouts are to the organization. You never know when a prospect might change from a piece of coal to a diamond. Emil has scored more goals than most Calgary Flames have had all season. Imagine if we had his offensive prowess on this team.

Randy 

Flames' Dilemma: Is It Time to Cash In on Kadri?

Everywhere I turn. I see rumours of Kadri going everywhere. Rumblings of possible trades to Toronto, Montreal, Florida, and most of all, Denver.

Kadri continues telling everybody that he has no intention of leaving, that he loves the city, and that he loves the fans. I’m sure he is well aware of how badly the team is playing, and it’s come to a point where the club has to do what’s best for the club.

I am sure, based on what everybody is telling me, that it’s only a matter of time before Calgary considers taking one of the offers we have had for him. At least eight teams have inquired about him so far. Here is a list of my top three destinations for Kadri, in no particular order.

Montreal Canadiens

It has been mentioned all season that the Montreal Canadiens’ greatest weakness is their second-line Centre. Nazim fits the role perfectly. He would fit nicely under Nick Suzuki. I have my doubts that this will be his destination, mostly because of his age. The Canadians are such a young team; he might not fit into the plans.

Florida Panthers

I think the Florida Panthers might be interested, depending on what they are gonna do with Barkov. What they do with Barkov’s cap depends on whether he can play this season. If it’s determined that he’s gone for the whole season, the Panthers will have a whole bunch of money to add to the roster. The Panthers getting a new second-line centre would be vital to the team’s success in the playoffs.  

Vancouver Canucks

I really don’t want this to be Kadri’s destination. I don’t like the idea of the Flames trading him within the division. But if the Vancouver Canucks offer us the best package, so be it. With Filip Chytil’s recent injury, I have no doubt they will inquire about Kadri.

Final Word

Honourable mentions have to be the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche. Both teams could be interested in Kadri’s services. One more key factor in negotiations, of course, will be how much of the salary the Flames will be willing to eat. It will be interesting to see where he goes.