Yesterday, Toronto Maple Leafs‘ general manager Brad Treliving met with the media and he had a few interesting things to say. He pointed out that the free agent market was getting “thinner and thinner” and alluded to a potential trade that they could be making to bring in top-six help largely due to the free agent market. As soon as he said that, Calgary Flames‘ Nazem Kadri came to mind. He would be the type of player that fits with what Treliving is building in Toronto. But more importantly, it is obvious that Kadri never truly wanted to leave the organization, so bringing him back would not only be good for the team on the ice, but would have this fan base going crazy with excitement.
Kadri’s Fit with the Maple Leafs
This is simple, Kadri’s fit within the Maple Leafs’ roster is there. If you ask almost anyone in Leafs Nation, they would likely say that he shouldn’t have been traded in the first place. However, if Treliving brings him back, he would be able to slot in on the second line, which could push John Tavares to the wing or even to the third-line center. Additionally, we all know that Treliving and head coach Craig Berube want to change the DNA and want this team to be bigger, more physical and less finesse. Kadri brings that. He is a talented forward, but he forechecks hard, he finishes his checks, he isn’t afraid to get in the opponent’s skin. He is exactly what the Maple Leafs need to go on a long run in the playoffs.
In terms of the lineup, the Maple Leafs just recently acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth who would most likely slot in, in their top six and potentially replace the playmaker on the top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. If they were to get Kadri, it would shore up the top six. Ideally, they would allow Tavares to play the wing on the second line with Kadri and William Nylander. That would be the best-case scenario for the organization to make their top six better, however, pushing Tavares to the third line does make their lineup deeper. The only thing with that is, Tavares plays with more depth players, where he would benefit from playing with more skilled forwards.
Potential Trade Package
The Maple Leafs have $4.9 million in cap space according to PuckPedia.com. Kadri’s cap hit is $7 million, which means that Toronto will need to clear cap space in order to make the deal work. Aside from that, they are without a ton of assets, which means Treliving is going to need to get creative to make it work. It is always difficult to determine who would be part of trades like this. However, it is fun to do, so let’s put together a trade package that could bring Kadri home to Toronto.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Nazem Kadri
Calgary Flames: Calle Jarnkrok, Nicholas Robertson (rights), 2027 2nd Round Pick, 2028 1st Round Pick
If this trade were to go through, the Maple Leafs would be moving out $2.1 million in cap space. On top of the available $4.9, that would give them $7 million in available cap that they could use to bring in Kadri’s entire $7 million contract. Treliving is also reportedly searching for a new home for David Kampf and his $2.4 million cap hit, which would free up a bit more room if they could move his contract off the books.
Related: Grading the Maple Leafs Trading Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights
As for the Flames, they would be getting a young goal scorer in Robertson, who if given more playing time could be a 25+ goal scorer. They’d also be getting Calle Jarnkrok, who they are familiar with from his time with the organization. They’d also be getting a second-round pick in 2027 and a first-round pick in 2028, which will likely be mid to late-round picks, but can still help the Flames find a few gems that can impact their roster.
It is clear that the Flames are going to try and complete an on-the-fly retool. They will likely be trading Kadri and Rasmus Andersson. That will require them to get a bit worse before they get a lot better. But it seems their general manager Craig Conroy is willing to do that to be able to bring playoff hockey back to Calgary. As for the Maple Leafs, they shouldn’t just replace the Mitch Marner hole in their top six with anyone. It should be with someone like Kadri who fits their style of play and who never wanted to leave the organization in the first place.
