For as long as there have been trade rumours around Calgary Flames' center Nazem Kadri, the Montreal Canadiens have been a team to watch. It is a move that seemingly makes sense for both sides as Kadri fills a need at center, and his skill set would fit well in this offense.
Recently, reports have been that the buzz between Kadri and the Canadiens has quieted, and the trade for Phillip Danault might have been a reason. While it might still be an option for Montreal, there is one sticking point that might be too much to overcome.
Frank Seravalli reports the Montreal Canadiens don't love Nazem Kadri's contract
Last week, NHL insider Frank Seravalli was on Flames' Talk and was asked about potential trade partners for the Calgary Flames to trade Nazem Kadri. The first team he mentioned was the Montreal Canadiens, but it seemed to put a damper on such a trade.
"I think they like the player but I don't think they are in love with the contract," Servalli said. "I think they would be really comfortable if there were a year or two left on the deal instead of three."
That certainly makes sense from the Canadiens' perspective, as Kadri is 35 years old this season and is under contract for three more seasons past this one. He has an AAV of $7 million, which isn't necessarily a huge concern as the salary cap is expected to increase substantially over the next few seasons.
The question is whether Montreal believes Kadri can still be productive at 38 or 39 years old. That is probably the calculation the team is going through right now to figure out if they want to do this trade.
In addition to the contract, teams have to take notice of the fact that Kadri is having somewhat of a down season. Through 56 games, Kadri has only 39, and at this rate, would finish with 10 fewer points than last season.
The questions they are trying to ask are whether this is due to him getting older or if it is just because he is playing on a bad Calgary Flames team.
For the Canadiens and the rest of the league, they are going to have about two weeks to figure these things out, but once the roster freeze lifts, every NHL team is going to be working fast to get deals done. Montreal needs to have a clear picture of where they stand with a player like Kadri and if they are comfortable with the years left on his deal.