Kadri line quickly carving out role as Flames top trio up front

Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter called them the best line in the season-opener last week. 

It might not be a stretch to start the Flames trio of Nazem Kadri, Andrew Mangiapane, and Dillon Dube on the top line soon enough.

The collective is Calgary’s top-producing trio and has been a menace to opponents throughout the opening four games of the season. 

And it starts with the newcomer. 

“I think he could work well with a lot of guys on our team,” Andrew Mangiapane, who had an NHL career-high 35 snipes last season, said in training camp. “I think he’s that type of player. When you play with him he makes other people around him better. He’s a good player and I’m happy that he’s on our team now.

“He obviously plays with that grit and he’ll get in there and muck it up. He’s not afraid to get in there and cause havoc, but he’s also a skilled player. He can score goals and he’s smart away from the puck. He’s kind of the whole package there. It’s good that we were able to sign him.”

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Kadri signed a seven-year, $49 million contract to join the Flames this summer, and he’s paid immediate dividends. He has a team-best five points (one goal, four assists) in a four-game point streak to open the season. 

Not far behind, Mangiapane (two goals, one assist) and Dube (one goal, two assists) trail only Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau among forward scorers on the Flames. 

It’s not surprising the trio, Calgary’s second-most frequently used trio, has clicked. 

“I think it’s just a lot of communication,” said Kadri, who has 92 points (29 goals, 63 assists) in his past 75 games dating back to the start of last season.

“You want to get on the same page. We talk a lot. I think that always helps. We’re always respecting each other’s opinions. I think as time goes on the more reps you get the better you feel. We seem to have some real good chemistry. I think we can definitely get to another gear. We’re going to look to do that.”

The Flames have started 3-1-0 — their best opening four games since a four-game winning streak to open the 2009-10 season. 

The Kadri-Mangiapane-Dube combination, unsurprisingly, has the seventh-highest expected goals-for percentage among trios with more than 30 minutes together in the entire league, according to MoneyPuck. They’ve generated the 14th-most expected goals for, and the third-highest expected goals-for per 60 minutes. 

The group has outpaced the incumbent look of Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm, and Tyler Toffoli through the opening 240 minutes of the season. 

“They’re tenacious guys,” Kadri said. “They like to work. Good speed. Good shots.”

“He obviously plays with that grit and he’ll get in there and muck it up,” Mangiapane relayed on Kadri. “He’s not afraid to get in there and cause havoc, but he’s also a skilled player. He can score goals and he’s smart away from the puck. He’s kind of the whole package there. 

“It’s good that we were able to sign him.”

Good for the line. 

Great for the team looking to fill the void after losing two top-10 scorers a season ago.