Jeff Marek believes the Maple Leafs will inquire about Nazem Kadri at some point this season

The Nation Network’s Jeff Marek debuted his new, daily hockey show on Daily Faceoff titled The Sheet with Jeff Marek where he proposed an idea that would solve an area of concern for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I have a hard time believing that somewhere down the road that the Maple Leafs don’t make a pitch for, or have a conversation about Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames,” Marek said.

“It’s a great start for the Calgary Flames, but I think we all know where the Flames are, and I think we all know where the Maple Leafs want to be. I think they’re looking at the Florida Panthers and saying ‘if we’re going to get out of this division, we have to go through them, we need more toughness and more toughness down the middle.’ I do really wonder if there’s a conversation about Nazem Kadri and the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

A potential Kadri reunion in Toronto would send ripples across the league, and it would effectively solve the Maple Leafs’ secondary scoring issues — 82.8 percent of Toronto’s goals have come from seven players this season, while the team has fought through a wave of injuries to several forwards throughout November. Fraser Minten is currently operating as Toronto’s No. 3 centre, although the team would ideally want to see him develop further in the AHL. Minten, for what it’s worth, is playing well and has recorded a goal and three points in four games prior to Monday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Kadri carries a $7 million cap hit through the 2028-29 season with a 13-team no-trade list enacted for the 2026-2028 seasons via Spotrac. The 34-year-old fits into the Maple Leafs’ timeline and would have several friends in the locker room, including John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly among others. It would be a difficult trade to complete as the Maple Leafs currently hold $2.3 million in cap space with $6.148 million in LTIR space, and they would likely need the Flames to retain a hefty portion of Kadri’s salary for it to work.

Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving joined the organization in May 2023, a month after he mutually parted ways with the Flames, and he has deep familiarity with Calgary’s roster and prospect pool.

Could a blockbuster trade come to fruition? There certainly appears to be some interest, although as Marek alluded to, it may be a deal the Maple Leafs target closer to the trade deadline, and we certainly don’t envy Treliving and Brandon Pridham this spring.

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