Snapshots: Kadri, Wilson, MacKinnon, Blueger

Nazem Kadri has been no stranger to the rumor mill over the last couple of years with the Flames in the middle of a rebuild of sorts.  While his public comments have consistently indicated a desire to remain in Calgary, it’s possible that he’s having a change of heart.  In a recent TSN Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the veteran now wants to be traded at this point while the team continues to test the market on him.   The 35-year-old should have a decent market given the dearth of quality centers available but having three years left after this one on his contract with a $7MM price tag could give some suitors some pause.  Despite Calgary’s struggles this season, Kadri leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and 29 assists in 56 games.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

• The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that Tom Wilson’s absence from tonight’s game against Philadelphia was due to illness. Wilson had a fairly successful run at the Olympics for Canada with four points in six games while also finishing second in the event in penalty minutes with 29.  The winger leads Washington in scoring this season with 23 goals and 26 assists in 50 games.
• After a busy Olympic tournament with Canada, the Avalanche decided to give Nathan MacKinnon the night off tonight against Utah. Corey Masisak of The Denver Post relays (Twitter link) that MacKinnon’s absence was merely termed as maintenance and not injury-related.  It was suggested that MacKinnon was playing through something at the Olympics although he still managed seven points in six games while playing heavy minutes.  He leads the NHL in goals this season with 40 through 55 appearances.
• Speaking with reporters including Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Canucks center Teddy Blueger noted that he’d love to remain with the team but as of yet, there haven’t been any discussions about a possible contract extension. The 31-year-old has been limited to just ten games this season heading into tonight’s action due to injury but has been surprisingly productive in those, notching five goals and three assists.  Known as more of a checking center throughout his career, Blueger is likely to garner interest before next week’s trade deadline from teams looking to shore up their bottom six.  He’s a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.8MM cap charge.