A Stunning Link of Nazem Kadri to 2 Serious Stanley Cup Contenders

Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames center, yells during a stoppage in play

Are the Calgary Flames ready to lean into sell mode? Many of the pundits around the NHL aren't saying it's not imminent. But eventually, it seems like the Flames will surrender to the obvious situation they find themselves in, and give in on trading veterans like Nazem Kadri.

"Maybe somebody does give them an offer too good for them to pass up," said insider David Pagnotta, on The Sheet with Jeff Marek. And while the Montreal Canadiens continue to come up as a potential suitor, Pagnotta names one shocking team that we haven't heard linked to Kadri before:

The other team I started hearing about recently... Florida. I don't know if that's something that would happen in-season but... the two teams I was told to keep an eye on for Kadri were the Habs and the Panthers—that was an interesting one for me.

The defending Stanley Cup champions just happen to be without their own impact center, Sasha Barkov, for potentially the entire season. It's an intriguing destination, for sure. And after what they've been able to pull off in assembling this team over the last couple of years, we wouldn't put anything past them.

Panthers & Stars are now linked as possible suitors for Nazem Kadri

But then Marek added another Cup contender to the mix, when he suggested the Dallas Stars as a possible Kadri suitor as well:

"The other team that's been around Kadri for a while now... the Dallas Stars. They've always looked for someone a little bit snarlier, that's why they tried to get Mathieu Olivier away from Columbus... They look for players with some bite."

Marek then noted that having Kadri on the Stars, going up against his old team with which he won a Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche, for Central Division dominance, "is pretty juicy!"

Kadri and the Flames will continue to be watched very closely in the weeks and months ahead. We heard this week from another insider that eventually, they may have no choice but to trade the veteran center.