FLAME STILL BURNS INSIDE KADRI
Veteran says he's committed to winning in Calgary, helping young players develop
It's sort of amazing to think back on Nazem Kadri's season and remember a time when his play was a real cause for concern.
That didn't last. When he went eight games without a goal to start 2023-24, though, he had to repeatedly reassure reporters he was happy with his game and believed the points would come.
And let's just say it, Kadri was 100 per cent right.
Six months later, if he'd wanted to sit at the podium during his end-of-season media availability with a big “I told you so” sign in front of him, nobody could have blamed him.
Instead, though, Kadri reflected on an excellent second season with the Flames in his own lowkey way.
And more importantly, the 33-year-old reiterated that he wants to be a part of the Flames retool that's seen them get a lot younger over the last little while and has them years away from being Stanley Cup contenders.
“I chose to be here,” Kadri said plainly. “There were other options for me. I chose to be in Calgary and I still feel that way. It was a frustrating season, a disappointing one, but hopefully over the summertime we can look to upgrade certain positions and have another crack at it.”
It's a little subjective, but there would be a very strong argument to be made that Kadri was the Flames' best player this season.
It's not just that he finished the year with 29 goals and 46 assists while playing in all 82 games.
Those numbers speak for themselves, but there were intangibles, too.
Kadri was placed on a line with rookies Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil early in the year and helped guide them through the transition of being everyday Nhlers.
When the Flames moved Andrei Kuzmenko to the wing next to Kadri late in the year, it brought the best out of the Russian, too.
“Amazing year from Naz,” said Flames general manager Craig Conroy. “The one thing is whoever we put with him, they played better. There's a lot of work when you're playing with young guys. He's helping them and you see him on the bench and he's talking to them all the time.
“As much as you're trying to get your game going, you're getting other guys' game going, too. He really helped turn those two guys into NHL players and then when Kuzy got with him, pretty good line.”
Since signing with the Flames in the summer of 2022, Kadri has played in every regular season game. He had a good first year but took his game to another level in Year 2.
The team, though, was trading away his veteran teammates and took a step back in the standings.
Naturally, that led to speculation about whether a guy in his 30s might prefer to play for a team that was actually contending. Kadri is signed until the end of the 2028-29 season, but for how many of those seasons will the Flames be competitive?
On the day after the season ended, though, Kadri was clear about his intentions.
He wants to stay in Calgary. He wants to remain with the Flames. And he doesn't think they're as far off from contending as everyone else seems to believe.
And that's big news, because if the Flames are going to get back in the playoff picture any time soon, it'll sure help to have Kadri around for his on-ice production and the guidance he can provide younger players.
“I want to be making the playoffs. I don't want to get another top 10 pick in the draft after this one and I don't think I'm the only one that feels that way,” Kadri said. “I think in terms of management, they understand the situation.
“It's progression and as long as you're seeing that, really, that's what's motivating. Momentum is a funny thing, as well. If these younger players have good summers and work on the mental and physical aspects of being an everyday NHLER, we could be a dangerous team. A young, high-paced, energetic team that hopefully learned a few lessons this year along the way.”