Should the Canadiens Trade for Nazem Kadri? Laine Solution?

The trade story of the season for the Montreal Canadiens and many other contending teams has been what their plan is for the 2C role as we get closer to the playoffs. The fanbase and even the management group are split on this topic, as neither can seem to decide whether Oliver Kapanen is a good enough solution for the role, at least for the time being.

Time for a Kadri move Nazem Kadri's name has been floated around as a potential trade candidate for the Canadiens throughout the season, but the rumours have started up again as we approach the NHL trade deadline. Given the current state of the Calgary Flames, most believe it is time for them to finally cut their losses and head into a well-needed rebuild. The Flames do have a fairly solid prospect pool currently, featuring the likes of Zayne Parekh, Cole Reschny, and even 2025 5th-rounder Ethan Wyttenbach, who is emerging as a very interesting name for the future of the club. However, it is something they should continue to add to. The high-paid veterans on their roster are rapidly beginning to slow down, which is not a very good sign this early into their lucrative extensions. It seems like a no-brainer for the Flames to offload the 35-year-old Kadri, while a large portion of the league is scouring for a 2C.

Now, is this the kind of player the Habs should be looking to add? They could certainly use the physicality and tenacity of Kadri's game, along with the veteran presence he brings. But are his best days behind him? This has sparked debate with both fans and management, as it is unclear if Nazem Kadri is declining or if this is just a product of being on one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL over the past couple of seasons. It's no secret that he hasn't exactly been playing up to his contract this season, which carries a $7M AAV through 2029.

Michael Hage's growth

With University of Michigan center Micheal Hage emerging as a star in the NCAA and showing out as one of Canada's strongest forwards at the World Juniors earlier this year, the Habs future at center seems to be in great hands. However, many are unsure if he's ready to make the jump directly into the second-line center role just yet. His struggles in the faceoff dot and low-intensity defensive game have sparked debate on whether or not he is ready to be a center at the NHL level right away. While he is extremely talented, possessing NHL-level playmaking and play-driving skills, he may need a few years of development in a less demanding role before jumping into that spot.

This is where a player like Nazem Kadri comes in. Kadri, being under contract for the next 3 years, can help the Canadiens slowly ease Michael Hage into this role. As Kadri naturally regresses, Michael Hage would hopefully be seasoned enough to take the reins as the number two center of the Montreal Canadiens. In the meantime, Kadri could also help to bring a veteran presence and physical edge between the Canadiens' emerging young stars, Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov. What's this gonna cost?

The price of Nazem Kadri is where the challenge lies. What are the Flames going to want in return for the 35-year-old center, who makes $7M a year till he's 38? Are they willing to retain a percentage of his deal? I believe the Habs and Flames should be able to scratch each other's backs and help fix each other's issues.

The Habs need:

• Second-line center

• More grit

• Veteran experience for the youth

• Longer-term solution (No rentals)

• Big right-handed defenceman

• Solve the roster logjam

The Flames need:

• To offload expensive veterans

• Scoring help

• Youth

• Better draft pick

• More draft capital

• Start the rebuild

So here is my proposal:

Montreal acquires:

Nazem Kadri (25% retained), Zach Whitecloud

Calgary Acquires:

Patrik Laine, Oliver Kapanen, Jayden Struble, 2nd, 3rd (Conditional* Becomes 2027 2nd if Montreal wins a playoff round), 5th

Why Laine Makes Sense for Calgary

Calgary gains a plethora of young players and assets, along with a scoring winger in Laine, who can also be a sneaky addition to help out Calgary's scoring issues on the power play. Laine may struggle at 5v5, but one thing he knows how to do very well is score from the left hash. He cashed in 15 power-play goals in only 52 games last season, and scored at an overall 31-goal pace.

While this is a cap dump and he could turn out to be nothing for the Flames, they incur 0 risk given his contract expiry this offseason. If this experiment works for the Flames, they just acquired a 27-year-old 30-goal winger for much cheaper than market value would suggest. They could also retain him at a much cheaper cap hit in the offseason, and have him be on the receiving end of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg's passes, depending on how the draft lottery goes.

Offloading the extra 21M (assuming 25% retention) owed to Kadri till the end of his deal would also be a massive long-term gain for the Flames. This will also allow for new young talent to be given bigger opportunities in his place. Better than Kapanen?

Many (delusional) Habs fans believe that Kadri isn't that big of an upgrade over current number two center Oliver Kapanen, which is just an insane statement. Kadri is a cup-winning ~65-point center at his best, who brings the physical edge that the Montreal Canadiens have been searching for. It is childish to think that he isn't a clear upgrade over Oliver Kapanen, with all due respect to him.

Kadri scored 35 goals on a team that finished bottom 5 in scoring in 2024-25, so it is hard to imagine that he wouldn't be able to find his form between two of the most dynamic young stars in the game in Slafkovsky and Demidov.

Kapanen has performed well on "The Kid Line," potting 18 goals and racking up 31 points in the first 57 games of the season, accompanied by an extremely respectable defensive game, seeing time on the penalty kill as well. However, there's no question that he isn't the most talented player in the world with the puck on his stick, and he relies more on strong positioning around the net to score goals. While this is obviously a valuable skill in itself, it's clear that a large part of his success has come from the immense talent of his two young, elite playmaking teammates putting the puck right on his stick for grade-A chances.

Kapanen is a good hockey player and will continue to be throughout his young NHL career, but his archetype isn't the style that belongs in the top six of a contending team come playoff time. Montreal has plenty of strong defensive players down the lineup, especially at the center position, and can afford to give him up if it means acquiring a gritty goal-scoring forward to bolster the top six. Summary In short, for the right price and proper salary retention, Nazem Kadri should be exactly who the Montreal Canadiens should be looking for to fill their longstanding need at the number two center spot. It not only helps them win now, but also brings another veteran with Stanley Cup-winning experience onto the roster to help season their growing young core.