One of the biggest unrestricted free agents of the summer is finally off of the market. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports that reigning Stanley Cup champion Nazem Kadri is signing with the Calgary Flames.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the deal is believed to be for seven years and will hold an average annual value of $7 million.
The signing adds another absolutely wild chapter to what has been an insane offseason for the Flames.
**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I’m told the @NHLFlames are working on a potential deal to move C Sean Monahan, and… The @NHLFlames are signing UFA C Nazem Kadri. @espn @NHLNetwork @NHL #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/yvUZ36YJXX— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) August 18, 2022
Kadri arrives in Calgary after a 178-game stint with the Colorado Avalanche that saw him record 155 points and win the first Stanley Cup of his career. The 31-year-old center leaves Denver after his best-ever, point-producing season in the NHL that saw him put up 87 points (28g, 59a) in just 71 regular season games.
The Ontario native continued that scoring success into this past year’s playoffs, notching 15 clutch points (7g, 8a) en route to hoisting Lord Stanley. Most notably, he returned from mid-postseason thumb surgery to roof the overtime winner in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final for the Avs.
The Calgary Flames have signed Nazem Kadri, one of top FA players on the market this year! Lindholm-Kadri-Backlund down the middle will be pretty good for Calgary for sure. We're waiting for more details. pic.twitter.com/nG3jwz6xts
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) August 18, 2022
To make room for Kadri, Friedman reports the Flames have offloaded center Sean Monahan, who is due $6.375 million for the 2022-23 season, to the Montreal Canadiens. Monahan has struggled with consistency and injuries since tallying 82 points for Calgary in 2018-19.
Sean Monahan, traded to MTL, is a fourth-line forward whose shot has gone from a major strength to a serious weakness. Injuries have done a number on his offensive game. #GoHabs pic.twitter.com/Koqod0AZZ4
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 18, 2022
That move will be just another in a massive overhaul the Flames franchise has undergone this summer. First, they lost Johnny Gaudreau to the Columbus Blue Jackets in free agency despite offering him way more money, and then were forced to deal their other star forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers after the restricted free agent Tkachuk made it known that he would not re-sign with the Alberta based franchise.
The main return for Tkachuk from Florida included star forward Jonathan Huberdeau and top-four defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. Huberdeau promptly signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension with the team.
THEY SAID THE FLAMES WERE DONE AND NOBODY WANTED TO PLAY OUT WEST IN CANADA THEN TKACHUK WANTED OUT TOO AND PEOPLE PANICKED SAYING CALGARY WOULD HAVE TO REBUILD BUT *BAM* BRAD TRELIVING OUT OF NOWHERE TRADED TKACHUK FOR HUBERDEAU WHO RESIGNED THEN HE SIGNED CUP WINNER NAZEM KADRI pic.twitter.com/hD3uJDnCwn
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) August 18, 2022
What a whirlwind of an offseason for Flames fans.
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