Nazem Kadri Would Consider A Trade From Calgary
In yesterday’s rendition of Insider Trading on TSN, the crew, particularly Darren Dreger, discussed Nazem Kadri‘s future with the Calgary Flames. According to Dreger, Kadri is more than happy playing out the rest of his contract with the Flames, but would welcome the idea of being traded to a contender if the opportunity presented itself.
Kadri’s name has been floated as a potential trade candidate since last summer. Despite having four years left on a $7MM salary, the 35-year-old former Stanley Cup champion saw his full no-movement clause turn into a 13-team no-trade list this season. Theoretically, the Flames have 18 teams they could trade Kadri to without his approval, but they may be treating him the same way the Nashville Predators are treating veteran center Ryan O’Reilly.
Although he’s been the first-line center for Calgary this season, Kadri is better used as a second-line middleman on a true contender. Much like he did with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kadri played a significant role in Colorado’s quest for the Stanley Cup, scoring seven goals and 15 points in 16 games, his last time in the postseason.
Outside of a relatively tepid output during his first year in Alberta, Kadri has been one of the team’s top performers since. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, Kadri has registered 72 goals and 174 points in 208 games, averaging 19:04 of ice time per game.
Furthermore, his underlying metrics haven’t declined as he enters the twilight years of his career. He’s remained consistently solid in the faceoff dot, and has continued to average north of a 50.0% CorsiFor% at even strength despite playing on a mostly non-competitive team in Calgary.
Fortunately for Kadri, there are a few competitive teams that could use his services this season and beyond. Although being a “true contender” is a relatively subjective term, for the sake of argument, we’ll choose from the top-5 teams in the league standings at the time of writing.
A return to Colorado doesn’t make much sense given the lack of cap space and contributions from Brock Nelson this season, and the same holds for the Dallas Stars and Roope Hintz. Still, of the three remaining teams from the group, Kadri would make sense for all of them.
The Minnesota Wild don’t have too much center depth, especially after moving Marco Rossi to the Vancouver Canucks. Although Logan Stankoven has played relatively well down the middle for the Carolina Hurricanes this year, he may be best suited to play on Kadri’s wing if he were to be traded to Raleigh. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens have been one of the most outspoken landing spots for nearly every second-line center on the market.
Given the current demand for a second-line center, the Flames should be able to recoup a haul for Kadri if they decide to move him this season. Still, unlike other potential options, Kadri’s price tag is unlikely to drop even if Calgary doesn’t move him by March. He’s signed through the 2028-29 season, so the Flames aren’t under a time crunch by any means.
Canadiens Interested In Flames’ Blake Coleman
The Montreal Canadiens have continued their ascent out of their rebuild in 2025-26, following up their playoff berth last season with a strong first half of this year. The Canadiens sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 25-13-6 record, and look increasingly likely to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
While they’re the NHL’s youngest team and being powered by a dynamic young core of players, it would be no surprise to see the team supplement its youth with some veteran talent. They’ve already done so, acquiring Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings, and additional deals could be coming.
Yesterday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on the network’s Insider Trading segment that Calgary Flames veteran Blake Coleman is “pretty high up on the list of the Montreal Canadiens” in terms of players they’d like to acquire via trade. LeBrun specifically referenced Coleman’s versatility, physicality, and leadership as elements to his game that the Canadiens are reportedly drawn to.
According to LeBrun, the Canadiens and Flames have discussed Coleman, but nothing is imminent as the Canadiens would prefer to take stock of their team at the Olympic break, especially considering the injuries the team is currently dealing with.
Worth noting is that Coleman wasn’t able to finish yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins. Any potential injury could dramatically change his prospects of being traded. Flames head coach Ryan Huska did tell the media, though, that he believes Coleman’s absence was more precautionary than anything else.
Another factor to consider regarding any potential Coleman trade is the trade protection on his contract. While he no longer has a full no-trade clause as he did for the first three years of his contract, he still is protected via a 10-team approved trade list. There’s no firm word at this time as to whether the Canadiens are on Coleman’s 10-team approved trade list, and if they are not, Coleman would need to sign off on the deal before he could be traded to Montreal.
It’s easy to see why Montreal would be interested in acquiring the 34-year-old veteran. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion who has scored at a decent middle-six rate as a member of the Flames. He already has 13 goals this season and managed 15 goals, 39 points last year. He’s also a first-unit penalty killer in Calgary and carries an additional year of control at a $4.9MM AAV.
When everyone is healthy, Coleman’s fit in Montreal’s forward lineup isn’t obvious, especially given the recent emergence of mid-season addition Alex Texier on the team’s top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. But if two injured forwards, say Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine, are unable to play again this season due to injury, the addition of Coleman would go a long way towards protecting the team’s depth up front. At the current moment, he could slot in alongside Danault and Zachary Bolduc on the Canadiens’ third line, shifting Brendan Gallagher to the fourth line.
From the Flames’ perspective, trading Coleman would come as an acknowledgement that the team isn’t prepared to seriously compete in the playoffs over the next two years, the remainder of Coleman’s deal. While LeBrun did indicate that Calgary isn’t prepared to give up on 2025-26 just yet, the Flames’ position in the standings doesn’t indicate a readiness to push for a playoff spot. The Flames are 18-22-4, good for third-to-last in the NHL.
Trading Coleman would allow Calgary to collect some value for a veteran winger whose contract is set to expire before the Flames are likely ready to seriously compete for a playoff spot. The Canadiens entered the season with a top-five prospect pool according to both The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and Elite Prospects, meaning the Flames could collect some valuable young assets in a Coleman trade.
A Coleman trade could be a mirror of a Flames/Canadiens trade from a few years ago, when these respective franchises found their competitive positions flipped. The rebuilding Canadiens sent veteran Tyler Toffoli to the Stanley Cup hopeful Flames, netting prospect Emil Heineman and a first-round pick in return. The Canadiens later used Heineman, who has 13 goals and 20 points this season, in a trade to acquire star blueliner Noah Dobson.
While Toffoli and Coleman aren’t exactly one-to-one comparable players, the trade is a clear example for the Flames showing how they could materially improve their long-term competitive hopes by trading Coleman. The Canadiens are hardly going to be the only team interested in Coleman’s services. If the player’s contractual trade protection doesn’t serve as too big an obstacle to the process of finding a deal, the Flames could end up taking a notable step in the right direction by making the decision to trade their veteran winger.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Latest On Zayne Parekh
The Philadelphia Flyers announced mid-game that star Travis Konecny would not return due to an upper-body injury.
Konecny has yet to miss a game this season, recording 37 points in 41 games, and notching the team’s only tally of the night as they lost in overtime to Toronto. Although he did not return for the third period, the forward was seen doing a television interview at the intermission beforehand, which hopefully indicates that his injury is not serious, and the decision was for more precautionary reasons.
Philadelphia has continued their winning ways of late, impressively second in the Metropolitan, and they will cross their fingers that their second-leading scorer will not miss any time. The team is right back in action on Saturday, hosting Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Shortly before their home tilt against Minnesota, the Seattle Kraken shared that forward Jordan Eberle will not play, with an upper-body ailment. The team will be missing their captain for the first time this season, who somewhat surprisingly has turned back the clock in 2025-26, on pace for his best season with the Kraken. The 35-year-old has 15 goals in 41 games, after finding the back of the net just 26 times in the last two seasons combined. Eberle could return as soon as Saturday in Carolina, as the team hopes to fend off competitors in the Pacific Division and earn their second-ever playoff appearance.
- Zayne Parekh’s return to the Flames lineup will be delayed, as the defenseman has been listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury, as reported by Eric Francis of Sportsnet. Although not immediately clear, it is most likely that the ailment comes from Parekh’s time leading Team Canada in the World Junior Championship. With just one point in 11 games so far in the NHL, Calgary is in no rush with their 19-year-old prized prospect, and in the meantime, Hunter Brzustewicz will hold his spot in the lineup. Parekh could return Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh.
Battaglia Traded In The OHL
- Flames 2024 second-rounder Jacob Battaglia has been acquired by OHL Flint, per a team release. The Firebirds are sending eight draft picks to Kingston in return for the forward. The 19-year-old has 14 goals and 13 assists in 36 games this season. Battaglia will be eligible to play full-time in the AHL next season, making him a particularly expensive rental player.
Flames Place John Beecher On IR, Recall Zayne Parekh
The Calgary Flames announced two transactions today, placing forward John Beecher on injured reserve and recalling Zayne Parekh from his loan to the Canadian National Junior Team. The two moves keep the Flames at 23 players on their active roster.
The Flames announced that Beecher has suffered an upper-body injury and is expected to miss time on a week-to-week basis. Beecher suffered the injury during the Flames’ Jan. 3 loss to the Nashville Predators. Beecher earned a one-game suspension for roughing in that game, a suspension he served during the Flames’ game yesterday against the Kraken.
When he was last in the Flames’ lineup, Beecher was the team’s fourth-line center. He has two points in 19 games since the Flames claimed him off of waivers from the Boston Bruins, and he is averaging 9:38 time on ice per game. That includes just under 90 seconds per game of short-handed ice time.
This injury comes at an unfortunate time for Beecher, as he’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Presumably, he’s been playing out this season with the hopes of earning a spot in the Flames’ long-term plans.
With his size, faceoff ability (he posted a 53% faceoff win rate as a Bruin) and above-average speed, Beecher has many of the qualities teams want to see out of bottom-six centers. But so far in his career, the 2019 first-rounder hasn’t been able to firmly establish himself as a quality NHL defensive center.
The Flames, as well as Beecher, were likely hoping that a change of scenery away from Boston would help him take the next step in his career, but so far, that hasn’t really happened. This injury will only further decrease the odds that he’ll be able to take that step forward as a Flame.
As for Parekh, this move allows him to re-join the pro ranks after a solid run at the World Junior Championships. Parekh led the tournament in scoring by a defenseman with 13 points in just seven games. While the Canadians had to settle for a Bronze medal after falling to Czechia in the semifinals, the tournament nonetheless gave Parekh the opportunity to restore some confidence in his abilities as an offensive defenseman.
Widely seen as one of the most dynamic offensive defensemen prospects in the sport, Parekh only managed one point in 11 games after making the Flames out of camp. Parekh got used to scoring nearly two points per game during his days in the OHL, so getting the chance to once again compete against his peers could allow the 2024 No. 9 pick to return to the pro ranks ready to hit the ground running. The Flames, who rank No. 30 in the NHL in goals scored, could certainly stand to benefit if Parekh can find a way to translate his dynamic ability to the NHL level.
Flames Recall William Stromgren
The Flames have recalled left wing prospect William Strömgren from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, per a team announcement. Calgary had been rolling with an open roster spot, so no corresponding transaction is required.
It will mark the 22-year-old’s NHL debut when he plays, although that won’t be tonight. He’s ticketed to be a healthy scratch against the Kraken, Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia reports.
Strömgren’s development has largely gone as anticipated since being drafted 45th overall by the Flames in 2021. The 6’4″ Swede spent two seasons after his draft getting limited minutes in his home country’s top league before making the move to North America.
It’s been a multi-year road, but Strömgren has firmly established himself as a top-line talent in the AHL. After breaking out for 14 goals and 49 points in 70 games for the Wranglers last year, he’s now the team’s leader in assists (23) and rating (+13) through 33 games in 2025-26.
There was worry Strömgren may have trouble standing out in a deep Calgary prospect pool – most didn’t view him as a top-10 talent in the system entering the season – but he’s done more than enough to ensure he stays on their internal radar. He’s been especially hot as of late, racking up four goals and nine points in his last five games, en route to being rewarded with his first NHL recall.
With John Beecher suspended (and injured), Strömgren could stick around as a 12th/13th forward for a while as the Flames evaluate where his checking game is at. One of his main knocks has been a lack of physicality for his tall frame. He’ll likely need to add that element into his game to transition into a fourth-line NHL role before eventually pushing to make an offensive impact in the Flames’ top nine.
Flames’ John Beecher Suspended One Game
3:30 PM: The NHL Department of Player Safety announced this afternoon that Beecher will be suspended one game as a result of last night’s roughing incident. The forward will miss tomorrow’s home game against Seattle.
Beecher is eligible to return at Montreal on Wednesday, however, as reported by Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960, he was injured in the fight with Hague and could miss additional time.
10:00 AM: Calgary Flames forward John Beecher will have a hearing today for roughing Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron during last night’s contest, the Department of Player Safety announced.
Beecher is now facing the prospect of a suspension after a play that occurred in the later portion of the first period of last night’s Predators victory. As a scrum between the Predators and Flames began to die down, and officials attempted to separate Beecher and McCarron, Beecher delivered a punch to McCarron’s face, one that dropped the Predators veteran to the ground. Predators head coach Andrew Brunette was visibly agitated after the play, and Beecher fought Predators defenseman Nic Hague later in the game.
It should be noted that the punch was not delivered within the circumstances of a fight, and under the NHL’s rules, one could consider McCarron an unsuspecting or at least unwilling recipient of the punch.
As The Tennessean’s Alex Daugherty noted last night, a punch delivered under those circumstances typically merits a match penalty. The Flames could argue that while Beecher’s punch was certainly uncalled for, it would not qualify as a traditional “sucker punch” as McCarron chose to physically engage with Beecher and therefore could not have been fully unaware that a punch could be coming, or could not be considered a fully “unwilling” participant. But on the other hand, seeing as McCarron and Beecher were in the process of being separated, and that their confrontation appeared to be fizzling out, it’s unclear how strong such an argument would be.
In any case, Beecher will now get the chance to explain his actions to the Department of Player Safety. No supplemental discipline has yet been decided, but it appears likely some will be coming for Beecher.
The 24-year-old began the season as a member of the Boston Bruins before he was claimed off of waivers by the Flames on Nov. 18. He has two points in 19 games in Calgary, and skated last night as the club’s fourth-line center. Beecher is playing out a one-year, one-way $900K contract and is set to be a pending restricted free agent, with arbitration rights, in the summer.
Backlund On Sweden's Standby List For Olympics
- Flames center Mikael Backlund was a surprise omission from Sweden’s Olympic team which was revealed on Friday. However, he confirmed to Aftonbladet’s Per Bjurman that he is on their shortlist of potential injury replacements although he was passed over when William Karlsson was ruled out for the event. Backlund is having a nice bounce-back season offensively, notching 10 goals and 25 assists in 40 games, putting him on pace to reach the 50-point mark for just the second time in the last nine seasons. However, that resurgence wasn’t enough to secure him a spot on Sweden’s group.
Senators Believed To Have Checked In On Rasmus Andersson
While the Senators enter play today in last place in the Atlantic Division and second-last in the Eastern Conference, they’re only three points out of a Wild Card spot and aren’t thinking about selling just yet. To that end, league sources suggested to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that Ottawa has circled back and inquired about Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson.
The 29-year-old is in the final season of his contract and while Calgary hasn’t ruled out the possibility of signing him to an extension themselves, the expectation is that he will likely be dealt before the trade deadline in March.
Andersson is a top-pairing right-shot defender, the type of commodity that is always in short supply and very high demand. In 40 games this season, he has eight goals and 18 assists, putting him on pace for his second career 50-point campaign. Meanwhile, Andersson is also averaging a career-high 24:10 per game of playing time.
With a $4.55MM cap charge, it’s fair to say that Andersson has been quite the bargain for Calgary and it’s a price tag that a lot of teams should be able to afford, including the Sens. However, given his role, production, and overall value, the Flames are well-positioned to command a significant return; a first-round pick and a top prospect could be a realistic ask at this point. If Calgary gave a team permission to discuss an extension beforehand, that price could go even higher.
That potential price could be a challenge for Ottawa to meet. As things stand, they’re set to forfeit their 2026 first-round pick as punishment for not declaring Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade protection that eventually resulted in a vetoed trade back in 2022. While they can move future first-round picks as well, going multiple years without a top pick isn’t ideal for a team that currently finds itself out of a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, it appears their top prospects aren’t believed to be available. Garrioch reports that the Sens have zero interest in moving defensemen Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler, their two most recent first-round selections. Yakemchuk is currently injured with AHL Belleville while Hensler just suited up at the World Juniors.
With those top assets unavailable, it’s hard to see Ottawa realistically getting involved in trade talks for Andersson. But they can be added to the list of teams keeping tabs on him, a group that includes (but is not limited to) Dallas, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vegas.
Flames Loan Andrew Basha To WHL
The Flames have sent left wing prospect Andrew Basha back to juniors to finish the season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, per a team announcement.
It will mark the 20-year-old Basha’s fifth and final season of junior hockey. Viewed as a potential fit by multiple public scouts in the 2024 draft, he ended up slipping to Calgary at No. 41 overall in the second round.
At the time, Basha was coming off a 30-goal, 85-point breakout in 63 games for Medicine Hat. The following season, he was a member of the Tigers’ WHL championship team but struggled with injuries. Limited to 23 regular-season contests, he still racked up nine goals and 29 points but lost important development time.
That missed development was apparent as Basha attempted to make adjustments to the pro game this season. Assigned to AHL Calgary out of training camp, he’s gotten plenty of reps but hasn’t produced. In 27 games, he’s put up a 1-4–5 scoring line with 33 penalty minutes and a -7 rating.
A good playmaker with physical acumen, he’s not an A-list prospect in a deep Calgary pool. Nonetheless, his toolkit points toward him being an effective fourth-liner even if the offensive production never really spikes at the pro level. The Flames are hoping that isn’t the case, though, and he can develop into something of a top-nine power forward. Getting some confidence back in Medicine Hat should help him on the way.