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Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

3 Non-Maple Leafs Trade Destinations for Flames’ Nazem Kadri

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Cody Gzowski | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 8:35 AM ET

Over the past few days, Nazem Kadri’s name has been brought up in several trade rumours around the NHL, primarily involving a deal sending him back to the Toronto Maple Leafs to serve as their second-line centre. Fans and rumour mills have added to the speculation, even though insiders have debunked it thoroughly.

When it comes to Kadri, the Maple Leafs would be poor trade partners — after sending Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy they have no shortage of centres, not to mention a complete lack of assets the Flames would want at this stage in the rebuild and a speculated rift between the Flames’ front office and Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving. That’s not to say that Kadri wouldn’t be a big potential trade chip for the Flames, though. Here are three possible trades that make sense for everyone involved, not just fans who want an old player back.

1. Kadri to the Flyers In Exchange for a 2026 1st Round Pick

The Philadelphia Flyers want top-six centres more than any other team in the league. While their depth chart boasts the likes of Trevor Zegras, Noah Cates, and Sean Couturier, both Cates and Couturier are career third-line or defensive centres and Zegras has played more wing than centre over the past several seasons, making him potentially a poor fit at centre. Enter Kadri, a natural centre who still drives play and produces points, even at his age. His veteran presence would help guide a younger generation of players through a rebuild — part of the reason he’s still on the Flames right now — and his edge and grit would complement a player like Travis Konecny or Matvei Michkov excellently.

In return? The Flyers aren’t projected to do very well in the standings this season, or anytime soon. If Kadri doesn’t meaningfully move the needle, then the Flames could be asking for a touted prospect in what projects to be a strong 2026 Draft. Even if he does, moving a few picks down the ranking would still add to their cabinet of prospects.

2. Kadri to the Montreal Canadiens in Exchange for Alex Newhook, Michael Hage and Carey Price’s Contract

The Montreal Canadiens are further ahead than the Flyers are in their rebuild, but one of their main weaknesses impeding them on the path to contention is their lack of centre depth. Behind captain Nick Suzuki, their best centre is Kirby Dach — not an ideal player for those minutes on a contending team, given his injury history and slim point totals.

Kadri would thereby be extremely desirable for the Canadiens. The only problem is his contract — at four years remaining and $7 million against the salary cap, he would be very difficult to fit under the Canadiens’ cap ceiling. Instead of retaining salary and attaching up to $3.5 million to the Flames’ cap sheet for the next four years, they could take on the contract of Carey Price, who costs $10.5 million against the cap but whose contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Of course, the Flames can’t be expected to give away one of their best forwards and take on a lot of salary cap for nothing; the ask would be at least an A-prospect for Kadri alone, and Alex Newhook would both free up a centre slot in the Canadiens’ lineup and replace one on the Flames.

Michael Hage is a young collegiate forward prospect with serious upside and excellent results so far at the University of Michigan. Newhook is a young, respectable third-line centre with team control at the end of his current contract, who could age into reasonable depth as the Flames go through the rebuilding process.

3. Kadri to the Anaheim Ducks in Exchange for Rights to Mason McTavish

Over the past few years, the Anaheim Ducks have changed the kind of players they want on their team from young, “skill” types (like the recently traded Trevor Zegras) to older players with more grit and sandpaper. As a result, many of their younger players have been driven out by this new change, and plenty of veterans with the desired grit have been brought in.

One of those younger players with a tenuous relationship with the Ducks is Mason McTavish, a 22-year-old centre selected at third overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. McTavish has proven himself to be a legitimate NHL-level centre with top-six or even 1C upside. He came to prominence after scoring the golden goal at the 2022 World Junior Championship, and scored 22 goals and 52 points last season on the Ducks. He managed to be second on the team in scoring after Troy Terry while playing second or even third-line minutes. He is currently a restricted free agent.

Mason McTavish, Anaheim Ducks (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Kadri, meanwhile, is 12 years McTavish’s senior and has the experience that makes any veteran desirable for a team attempting to crawl out of the basement. He scored significantly more goals (35) and points (67) than McTavish last season, and his physical, gritty reputation would be extremely appealing to the Ducks’ new style.

The Ducks would be gaining another veteran the likes of Radko Gudas or Jacob Trouba, and the Flames would be gaining a potential 1C of the future — or, at least, a worthy competition with Matt Coronato for that spot. This trade has the most immediate and the most total upside for Calgary; landing a player like McTavish would jumpstart the rebuild and immediately land the Flames back into serious contention for a wild-card spot.

The Flames do not by any means have to trade Kadri — the qualities he would bring to another team are just as valuable in Calgary, who are also in the rebuilding process and in need of centres, grit, and leadership. But if he were to get traded, it would have to be to a team that wanted him for his on-ice prowess, and not purely out of nostalgia.