Flames' Kadri wants out if rebuild is taking place: report

Nazem Kadri isn’t interested in going through a rebuild with the Calgary Flames.

When Kadri agreed to a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Flames in August of 2022, he did so under the impression that he was joining a team on the cusp of contending for a Stanley Cup. That was the organization’s goal at the time, but things have drastically changed since.

With their struggles over the last year, Flames management has some tough decisions ahead. Several players on the current roster are on expiring deals and may be moved in the near future to help bring in some picks and/or prospects. While it is a logical plan for the Flames, it is one that Kadri reportedly isn’t interested in being a part of.

“Moving pending unrestricted free agents that are unlikely to sign is good business, but if this renovation, if we can call it that, gets more hefty, then you start to look at some of the players who are also under contract,” Darren Dreger said on TSN’s Insider Trading segment.

“Nazem Kadri, as an example, signed that long-term deal as a free agent with the Calgary Flames. He wants to stay in Calgary, he wants to win with the Flames, but if the Flames as an organization progress to a rebuild, he’s not interested in that, and I think there’d be others who are in a similar situation.”

It has been discussed that the most challenging part of entering a rebuild for the Flames is that they have both Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau signed to expensive long-term deals. If they were somehow able to get Kadri off the books, that could prove to be a big step in the right direction.

Though the thought of heading into a rebuilding phase isn’t an exciting one, Flames fans have gotten a glimpse of what the future holds early this season. Recent call-up Connor Zary has looked phenomenal with six points through his first six NHL games, while Martin Pospisil has also impressed with four points through five outings.

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