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Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri – (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

Canadiens Acquiring Nazem Kadri Makes No Sense

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Ryan Szporer | Last updated Jan 25, 2026 8:55 AM ET

Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri could obviously help the Montreal Canadiens, but at what cost? Literally? Amid reports the Habs have kicked tires with the Flames regarding the centre, it begs the question, would a trade for the 35-year-old be worth it?

Revisiting the Rasmus Andersson Trade

The answer depends in part on what it would take to bring the Flames’ leading scorer (nine goals, 25 assists) over in a trade. That would probably be a reasonable ask, based on (very) recent history. Consider the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of defenseman Rasmus Andersson.

To the Flames, the Knights sent defenseman Zach Whitecloud, defensive prospect Abram Wiebe, a top-10-protected 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2028 second-round pick that becomes a first if they win the Stanley Cup. On top of that, the Flames retained 50% of Andersson’s salary, making the deal almost a “can-they-afford-not-to” type of situation.

In Andersson, the Golden Knights are getting a top-four defenseman on any team. In comparison, Whitecloud, while a legitimate NHLer, only started consistently earning top-four ice time this season (18:46 per game), despite having become a regular back in 2020-21.

The 29-year-old is an affordable addition to the Flames’ lineup at a hit of $2.75 million through 2028, but you have to question the upside he brings to the table at this stage of his career, even as they’ve started to play him a team-leading 23:48 to effectively replace Andersson. And, with Wiebe being a seventh-round 2022 pick who models his game after Whitecloud’s, the first-round pick will probably be the piece that makes the most impact on the Flames, which is probably anticipated by all parties involved.

Looking at it that way, the Canadiens could seemingly afford to pull the trigger, here. Wiebe’s stock may be rising, but he’s far from a lock to make the NHL. The Habs have plenty of second-tier prospects, all due respect to Wiebe, who project as potential NHLers and, similar to with Wiebe and the Golden Knights, probably would have a hard time cracking their roster specifically.

Habs’ Michael Hage Should Be Off Limits

It should be made clear, that characterization does not describe top-prospect Michael Hage, for whom the second-line centre spot seems to be earmarked into the long term. Whether or not Hage ends up there or on the wing, it’s nevertheless an important distinction to make, because, with Suzuki being the team’s clear-cut No. 1 centre, them having just paid a lofty price to re-acquire Phillip Danault and Jake Evans having returned from injury, Kadri only really makes sense as someone who could pivot Line 2 to replace Oliver Kapanen, who, himself, appears to be a temporary solution between Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky, despite his rookie-class-leading 16 goals.

I'd be worried if the model said Kapanen was driving his line… He's playing his role well enough right now, finishing and filling in blanks. His results away from Demidov are catastrophic, and I don't know that his 22.5% sh % with Demidov is refelctive of his true talent. https://t.co/eYdysLWZX6 pic.twitter.com/0BIaEAKOqA
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 15, 2026

The curious thing about Kadri is, up until he won it a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, he had a reputation of more so being a postseason liability . And, because of how old he is, the Canadiens would be acquiring him with a postseason run this spring in mind. However, the Flames signed him the summer after his championship victory as a marquee free agent, and, while he’s put up decent numbers, Sean Monahan, the player seemingly on his last legs that the Flames traded to the Canadiens as a salary dump to make room, has had more of an impact in the playoffs since. Keep that in mind: Kadri, especially at this stage, is more of a complementary piece, not someone around whom you build a team.

Kadri’s Current Deal Makes This a No-Deal

On top of that, even if the Flames were to retain a portion of Kadri’s $7 million cap hit, he’s under contract until 2029. That’s a significant commitment to a player, Canadiens fan growing up or not, whose overall impact is projected to diminish, with signs already becoming apparent he can no longer be relied on consistently to play a top-six role. Granted, Kadri’s mere nine goals so far this season, after scoring 35 in 2024-25, could be representative of the quality of the team around him, but his shots are down significantly as well, which does not bode well for future production.

Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri – (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

If you’re going to place a potential obstacle in the way of Hage’s development, it should at least be someone who’s going to grow with the team. Acquiring someone just to make a run at it this year, of all years, when you’re dealing with suspect goaltending, would reek of desperation. While there are moves general manager Kent Hughes can justifiably make to round out his team and address some of its needs, acquiring Kadri seems more like something that would come back to bite the Canadiens.

If you’re of the frame of mind neither Kapanen nor a returning-from-injury Kirby Dach are the answer at centre and you’re afraid of Demidov’s elite playmaking talent going to waste, you’d be perfectly justified in your concern. However, even if the price tag would probably be reasonable, the resources you’d be paying to hypothetically acquire Kadri would be going to waste, when, for an admittedly (much) higher cost according to reports , you could look into acquiring St. Louis Blues centre Robert Thomas.

Maybe Hughes has already, maybe he hasn’t, but, the same age as Suzuki, he fits the profile of the type of player who could take this team to another level. And, if that cost does end up being too high, that’s understandable. Thomas would be a luxury who would justifiably accelerate the rebuild, when, it’s become readily apparent, the Canadiens’ unexpected playoff appearance last season, unjustifiably heightened expectations for this one. This isn’t a contender who should go all-in yet. This is the youngest team in the league who’s far from being one piece away. Thomas could be one of them, but, whereas he’s a nice-to-have, Kadri is a do-not-dare. That’s a cold, hard truth. Some prices just aren’t worth paying.