Flames Center Named Trade Target for Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have a potential new trade target.

Apr 18, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (91) skates with the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Winnipeg Jets are coming off of a 52-win, 110-point season. Despite finishing second in the Central Division, the Jets fell in the first round of the playoffs, resulting in another disappointing playoff defeat. Now heading into the 2024-2025 season, the team has a hole in their lineup that needs addressed.

With the departure of center Sean Monahan in free agency, the Jets do not have a viable second-line centerman. They have some internal options they could turn to. The organization is very high on young players Cole Perfetti and Brad Lambert, and they may be hoping one of them takes the appropriate next stop and become a top-six player.

But there is just as likely a chance that the Jets are again turning to the trade market to upgrade their forward group. In a recent article from Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, he suggested a veteran name that could be an option for the Jets: Nazem Kadri.

Kadri is currently playing for the Calgary Flames. The former first round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche is one of the most dependable two-way centers in the NHL. He's a two-time 30-goal scorer and four-time 20-goal scorer, and is coming off of a 75-point campaign in 2023-2024. Wiebe gave a few reasons why the veteran might make sense for the Jets.

"One name that could make a lot of sense — but probably more likely closer to the deadline or as a pre-emptive strike like Monahan was — would be Nazem Kadri," he wrote. "Kadri is about to enter the third season of the seven-year, $49 million USD contract he signed with the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2022. He would provide more of a longer-range solution, unlike most of the previous deadline deals for pivots. This is a player the Jets showed interest in before he ended up being dealt from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Colorado Avalanche."

Wiebe makes a compelling point in his article. The Jets could use another center behind Mark Scheifele if they want to replicate their 50-win season in 2024-2025. Kadri would be a bit of a risk at his age and contract remaining, but he would certainly provide an upgrade and more depth for a Jets team eager to contend again..

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