Kadri's Message Should Mean Trade Coming From Flames

The Calgary Flames are not a good team this season and continue to struggle with scoring. Dustin Wolf hasn't been able to hold them in the season like he did last season and the lack of goal-scoring has really been evident.

Nazem Kadri isn't part of the problem in this regard as he leads the team with 39 points in 56 games, but much more than just him is needed. The veteran is 35 years old and is on the decline with three years left on his deal. There is interest from teams around the league and not trading him would be a mistake before things could get worse.

David Pagnotta said, "We know Nazem Kadri is open to a move. They don't have to necessarily do anything now, but just the fact that he's relayed that message, speaks volumes."

Kadri is a Stanley Cup winner, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to have more chances at winning before his career, that's on the back 9, comes to an end. He has carried the Flames offensively, even though it hasn't been anything very impressive, for the last few seasons.

Centers are also very hard to come by without developing your own, so someone like Kadri is being looked at by multiple teams like the LA Kings and Montreal Canadiens with top-6 center problems now and in the near future.

This is the first year of Kadri's deal that he has a modified no-trade clause of 13 teams after having a no-trade clause up until this point. That is a good amount of teams he could go to, but even if a team on his no-trade list shows interest, he could be approached and have changed his mind.

The Flames are in a rebuild, have traded some of their high-end players already over the past few seasons, and need to continue that to get better young talent so they can come back stronger sooner and not stew at the bottom.