One Team's Interest in Nazem Kadri Has 'Cooled'; 3 Teams Named 'Serious' Suitors

Nazem Kadri's name has resurfaced as a legitimate trade candidate after the revelation last week that he would be 'open' to a move from the Calgary Flames.

One of the primary candidates earlier in the season was the Montreal Canadiens, who were in desperate need of a second-line center. After the month of January, however, the Habs' interest in Kadri has 'cooled', per insider Marco D'Amico.

Sources confirm the Canadiens checked in on Kadri early in the season, trying to gauge Calgary’s intentions as the Flames flirted with a reset.
But as quickly as trade talks heat up in this league, they can cool just as fast. And by the new year, the Kadri chatter around Montreal had gone noticeably quiet.
The Canadiens’ internal picture shifted as the season went along. Offensively, the rise of Oliver Kapanen into a legitimate top-six look, combined with the steady progression of prized prospect Michael Hage, changed the complexion of Montreal’s needs. The urgency to land a top-six centre specifically began to lessen.

Then came the opportunity to acquire center Philip Danault from the LA Kings, and the need declined even more. That doesn't mean, however, that the door is slammed shut on this.

"With Kapanen finding chemistry between Demidov and Slafkovsky, and Danault now insulating the middle of the ice, Montreal’s interest in Kadri understandably cooled, at least for the moment," writes D'Amico. "That doesn’t mean the door is closed forever. Trade conversations have a way of resurfacing closer to the deadline." He also confirmed that Montreal is NOT on Kadri's 13-team no-trade list.

Meanwhile, he still considers three teams as suitors of the "serious" variety for Kadri. The Flames are willing to retain salary on his $7M cap hit (three more years remaining after this one).