Nazem Kadri spent a decade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and for many of the team's fans, he left a lasting impression.
Kadri's gritty style, clutch goals, and fiery personality are exactly what the Maple Leafs need to help them get over the playoff hump. The older, more mature Kadri is better able to harness those attributes than his younger self, which led to his original trade from Toronto.
Since moving on, he has won a Stanley Cup in Colorado and built a solid career that's now brought him to first-line center duties with the Calgary Flames. The idea of him coming back to the Leafs still sparks interest, especially with general manager Brad Treliving's desire to change the team's DNA and the need for a top-six forward.
While a reunion isn't likely at this point, there is one possible way it could happen. Let's take a look at what would need to fall in place.
Obstacles to a Kadri trade
With Mitch Marner leaving, the Maple Leafs' biggest need is a top-six forward. Acquiring Kadri would plug that hole, but there are many barriers to a Leafs-Flames transaction.
First of all, the Leafs have a dearth of trade resources compared to other potential trade partners across the NHL. They lack draft capital, and previous trades have left them with few high-end prospects.
Trading Easton Cowan or Ben Danford, the team's best prospects, for an aging Kadri would be short-sighted and poor asset management. Sending the Flames a comparable roster player from a depth spot, such as defense or goaltending, only weakens the Leafs in those areas.
The NHL calendar is another hindrance to a potential Leafs-Flames deal. Most teams across the league are set with their roster and ready to proceed with training camp, the preseason, and the regular season. There is unlikely to be much movement league-wide until teams have played a couple of months of the season and have had a chance to reassess their lineups.
Despite the impediments to a Toronto-Calgary trade involving Kadri, a path remains to make it happen.
The path to a Leafs-Flames deal
Last season, the Flames barely missed the playoffs. They lost an eighth-seed tiebreaker with the St. Louis Blues after each team finished with 96 points. Flames' GM Craig Conroy will want to keep Kadri, his first-line center, to help lead a push for the postseason.
The Leafs require a long-term view if they hope to reunite with Kadri. The Flames' faltering during the 2025-2026 season aids a potential Maple Leafs move for Kadri. Calgary falling out of the postseason picture and becoming a seller facilitates a transaction.
The biggest advantage the Leafs have in reconnecting with their former first-round draft pick has already happened. Kadri, who has a no-movement clause in his contract, appears willing to waive it for two teams, the Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Maple Leafs must hope that the allure of unfinished business with his original franchise and ending the team's championship drought is too great for Kadri to resist. It helps that the Leafs have a new regime of GM Treliving and coach Craig Berube that is suited to Kadri's style of play.
A lot needs to happen for the southern Ontario kid and former London Knight to rejoin the Maple Leafs. Kadri pushing for a reunion with his initial NHL home and a floundering Flames season is the best chance to make it happen.