Nazem Kadri’s Flames Future in Question After Latest Update

Dreger stressed that while nothing is imminent on the trade front, circumstances are aligning in a way that hasn’t existed previously.

“My sense with Nazem Kadri is this: if an opportunity was presented to go to a top contender in the NHL, then he would be willing to listen to that,” Dreger said. “The man is 35 years old, and he wants to win a Stanley Cup.

“He's not going to push it, and we know that the Calgary Flames have other pieces that are drawing more of the attention from Craig Conroy's perspective, but the intensity around Kadri is definitely heating up.”

Kadri has been linked to trade speculation for more than a calendar year, yet has remained with the Flames since signing his seven-year, $49 million deal in 2022.

One thing helping the situation is Kadri's no-movement clause, which converted into a 13-team no-trade list this year. With that change, the Flames can now move Kadri to 18 teams without requiring approval from the player.

Despite the noise, Kadri continues to play a key role for Calgary and produce as the leader of the team. Since joining the Flames, Kadri has scored 230 points in 290 games, and this season alone, he's already at 32 points in 44 games played

Calgary is not under pressure to act, given that Kadri is signed through the 2028–29 season, and his value should not drop anytime soon with three years left in his deal.