Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
We know Nazem Kadri nixed a trade that would have sent him to the Calgary Flames with T.J. Brodie being the main piece going the other way.
What we didn't know was who else, if anyone, was to be included in the deal.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun offered some insight into the matter in his most recent Sunday column. Excerpt below:
He was phoned by Flames’ general manager Brad Treliving. He was phoned by Flames’ coach Bill Peters. He was being sold on joining the Flames, but almost immediately, he said no and wouldn’t waive the no-movement part of his contract to go to Calgary along with Connor Brown in a deal that would have brought T.J. Brodie and Mark Jankowski to Toronto.
There's a lot to get to here, so I'm going to share my thoughts in bullets:
• I don't think Kadri blocking a trade to Calgary was a slight on the team. Though they disappointed with a 1st round exit, the only side they finished behind in the regular season was a historically good Tampa Bay team. Kadri, like most, surely realizes the Flames should again be one of the higher seeds if they stay healthy. I believe that Kadri simply didn't want to leave Toronto, and was flexing his rights to try and ensure that happened. Obviously, it didn't work out for him.
• Had the deal gone through, I think it would have been a clear win for Calgary. Brodie is a solid player, of course, but the Flames have internal options who could help replace him in the short and long-term. Brodie is almost certainly not sticking around beyond this season. Dealing one year of Brodie, and a bottom-6er in Mark Jankowski, for a center who has averaged 28 goals and 56 points per 82 over the last three years (and is under contract for three more) almost seems too good to be true.
• I am not at all surprised GM Brad Treliving tried to jump on a quality center when the opportunity presented itself. As I've touched on numerous times, Sean Monahan's had a laundry list of injuries and is a one-way guy. Mikael Backlund is on the wrong side of 30 and doesn't bring a *ton* of offense. If the Flames can add one more cook to the kitchen to balance the weaknesses of their top two centers, I think they'd be smart to do it. Clearly, they feel the same way.
• I like the idea of including Mark Jankowski as a sweetener to address other needs. He'll score a few goals but he's not necessarily an efficient point producer, and he isn't good at much else. At least not at 5v5 (admittedly, he is a good penalty killer). He's not a good shot suppressor in that game state and he doesn't drive play. He's a very poor man's version of Monahan – he'll score a little but won't really contribute if the puck isn't going in. As a soon-to-be 25-year-old, I'm not sure there's much more room to grow. It will be interesting to see if his name continues to pop up in rumors, or if this is a one-time thing.
Recent posts:
David Rittich, Sam Bennett file for arbitration
The Flames should go after Nikita Gusev
The Flames were in on Nazem Kadri
Michael Frolik could be traded sooner than later
Reviewing the Flames' 2019 draft class
Giordano makes history with well-deserved Norris victory
Five pieces the Flames could use as trade bait
Three potential trade partners for the Flames
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»