There has been plenty of talk about the Montreal Canadiens being the match for Nazem Kadri before the NHL Trade Deadline. The move certainly makes sense as the Canadiens could use an extra center, and now it seems that Kadri would welcome a trade to Montreal.
Recently, The Athletic's Chris Johnston with James Mirtle made predictions for where some of the top players expected to be available at the trade deadline might end up. For Kadri, while Mirtle selected the Minnesota Wild, Johnston named the Canadiens as the landing spot.
In Johnston's explanation there was a notable piece of reporting in that while Kadri has a modified no-trade clause, he would favor a move to Montreal: "While there’s legitimate concern around how well his contract will age, with another three seasons remaining after this one, the fact he would be in favor of a move to the Habs, according to league sources, should bring a measure of comfort. Kadri has a 13-team no-trade list, and Montreal isn’t on it."
Nazem Kadri's contract certainly should be a concern for the Montreal Canadiens
As noted by Johnston, the contract might be a sticking point for some teams when considering trading for Kadri. He is currently in the fourth year of a seven-year contract with an AAV of $7 million, and he will be 38 years old in the final year of this deal.
While he is in the latter part of his career, he has still been really productive with 65 or more points in each of the last four seasons. This season, he has seen a dip as he has only 39 points in 56 games but that might be due to the fact that the Calgary Flames just aren't a good team.
By adding a veteran to this young core of players could help Kadri bounce back to the level he was playing last season. Then moving forward, he could take on more of a support role as players like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky continue to develop.
If the Canadiens are comfortable with an AAV of $7 million, which in terms of a percentage of the salary cap, will continue to go down as the cap grows each season, then this is a move that would make sense as they try to prepare for hopefully a deep playoff run.
However, reports by Frank Seravalli were that the Canadiens didn't love the contract and would rather it had only one or two-years left. The Canadiens also don't have the cap space right now to take on Kadri's contract, so before they can add an impact player, they probably need to find a team to take on Patrik Laine's contract.
This could be a case where the Canadiens have more interest in other centers on the market that might fit what they are looking for. It doesn't mean they wouldn't eventually settle on Kadri, but he might be a backup plan. With less than a week left in the roster freeze for the Olympic break, rumors should start to pick up as teams discuss potential trades that they can finalize starting as early as February 23rd.