The Calgary Flames have lost eight consecutive games and seem on the verge of doing what few teams aspire to do and fully rebuild.
But if they'd like to begin the quest to draft Gavin McKenna first-overall by shipping out veteran centreman Nazem Kadri, it wont be in the next six games.
"There is zero chance, zero, he is going anywhere before he plays Game 1,000. He's at 994 right now, it's obviously a huge deal to him, his family and the Flames, and nothing will happen before that 1,000th game is played," Elliotte Friedman reported on the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada.
Kadri, 35, joined the Flames in the 2022 off-season fresh off winning a Stanley Cup in Colorado. With Calgary's contention window seemingly closing rapidly, could Kadri seek another chance to win a second ring?
"It came out this week that his trade status had changed," Friedman added. "He's no longer got a full no-trade clause, he's got a 13-team no-trade list."
With top-six centres being a hot commodity across the league, with far more demand than there is supply, Kadri would fetch a decent haul for the Flames, should they decide to part ways with him.
Kadri has thrice surpassed 30 goals, and his 35-spot last season was a career high. He's also under team control until 2029 and his $7 million cap hit is plenty affordable given the rising salary cap.
In what's shaping up to be a thin trade market ahead of the March 6 trade deadline, Kadri could very well become the most coveted asset for a team looking to bolster down the middle.
"All these teams are trying to find out, 'am I on (Kadri's no-trade) list? Because if I am, and I want him, what are we going to have to do to sell him on the potential of coming to us, if Calgary decides to go down that road?'"
If they do, the Flames will have no shortage of suitors.
