3 Canadian Teams Linked To Flames' Kadri

When the Calgary Flames are ready to trade Nazem Kadri, there won't be a shortage of suitors to take a run at him. Plenty of teams are searching for a top-6 center and Kadri could absolutely fill the void. In Calgary, he is the go-to, but when he takes a little bit of a lesser role, his game elevates to an even higher level.

Darren Dreger said, "There are other Canadian markets, namely the Canadiens, Canucks, maybe the Leafs, that could absolutely envision a #2 experienced center like Nazem Kadri in their lineup."

These teams, mainly the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks, have not been quiet about the need to upgrade their #2 center spot.

Montreal is currently riding an unexpected emergence of Oliver Kapanen, while Kirby Dach was injured again. But now that he's back in the lineup, Kapanen has held down the role of second line center. Montreal has a young lineup with only three 30-year-old players. For the three-plus years remaining on Kadri's deal, he would be a strong fit and the Canadiens can afford him, both with price and cap space.

The Canucks are even more desperate, but slightly behind the Canadiens in terms of ability to compete. The future doesn't look that bright in Vancouver and they are trying to stay relevant while Quinn Hughes is still hanging around, but they can't do that with one of, if not the weakest, center depth in the NHL. Elias Pettersson is playing better than last season, but injuries up front have really hurt the team.

Not only is Hughes injured on the back-end, Conor Garland just went down to injury, and Filip Chytil, Teddy Blueger, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Nils Higlander are all out of the lineup as well. Kadri would give the Canucks the opportunity to be a playoff team at the very least until the decision with Hughes is imminent. The Canucks have some cap space, but would have to send at least one NHL player back as part of the package.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not adjusting the best to not having Mitch Marner in the lineup, but most people expect them to figure it out. Auston Matthews and John Tavares are the top-6 centers, but when Kadri was the third center on the team, the center depth was elite. That might be what the team is looking to do again. It would really deepen the team to the point Toronto needs and replace even more of the production that was lost.

Kadri isn't going to be traded just yet, but a trade from the Flames is likely coming if they remain near the bottom of the league and interest grows.

Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images