Why Nazem Kadri Should Be Kent Hughes’ Top Trade Priority

The Montreal Canadiens have started the 2025 regular season on fire, heading out on their West Coast road trip with a 5-2-0 record after a dominant homestand.

The trip begins Wednesday night in Calgary against the Flames, a team that happens to feature one of the most realistic trade targets for general manager Kent Hughes and his staff.

That target is 35-year-old centreman Nazem Kadri, who could soon become Calgary’s biggest trade chip if the organization decides to rebuild in the coming months — a direction that’s starting to feel inevitable.

The idea was discussed on last night’s Sick Podcast postgame show with Maxime Lapierre and Pierre McGuire, where both broke down how realistic a potential Kadri-to-Montreal acquisition could be.

Canadiens fans watching Wednesday’s matchup may view Kadri through a different lens, imagining how his style might fit within Montreal’s system.

McGuire suggested Kadri would be an ideal fit as the Canadiens’ second-line centre, slotting in alongside Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov. That trio, he argued, could form Montreal’s most formidable second line in years.

While Kadri is in the latter half of his career, he brings exactly the type of veteran profile the Canadiens need — a player who’s experienced the pressures of a Canadian market and has won a Stanley Cup.

As McGuire pointed out, Montreal currently has only one player with a Cup ring: Alex Newhook, who won alongside Kadri in Colorado in 2022. The Canadiens would benefit tremendously from adding another player with that kind of championship pedigree to the locker room.

Kadri’s contract is hefty — he’s in the fourth year of a seven-year deal with a $7 million cap hit — but the Canadiens have roughly $5.1 million in available cap space (per PuckMedia). Hughes could also potentially work some of his usual cap magic and convince Calgary to retain part of Kadri’s salary, especially if the Flames commit to a rebuild.

It’s also worth noting that Patrik Laine’s $8.7 million cap hit comes off the books at the end of this season, giving Montreal additional long-term flexibility to make a move like this possible.

On the ice, Kadri checks nearly every box the Canadiens are looking for in a second-line centre.

Coming off a 67-point 2024–25 campaign in which he scored 35 goals, Kadri would bring both playmaking ability and scoring touch to Montreal’s middle six.

Kadri has a career faceoff percentage of 48.7%, and posted a percentage of 46.2% in the dot last season, respectable numbers that would help strengthen Montreal’s performance in the faceoff circle, an area that’s been inconsistent in recent years.

Beyond the numbers, Kadri plays with a physical edge — one that has earned him a few playoff suspensions over the years but also makes him a hard-nosed competitor, something this Canadiens roster could use more of.

You can never have too many players who bring that kind of grit come playoff time, and Kadri fits that bill perfectly.

As for acquisition cost, McGuire speculated that Calgary’s asking price could be around two prospects and a draft pick.

The Canadiens likely wouldn’t move top prospects Michael Hage or Jacob Fowler, but any other prospect should be on the table to make this trade the organization’s top priority — unless, of course, Sidney Crosby somehow becomes available.