Nazem Kadri said the Calgary Flames expressed interest as soon as he became an unrestricted free agent, but it took an “elaborate process” before he signed with the team on Thursday.
“I did well to have been patient,” Kadri said during a videoconference on Friday. There were decisions to be made. »
The Flames added a chapter to their crazy offseason on Thursday when the team signed Kadri to a seven-year, $49 million contract.
Before they could formalize the hiring, the Flames shipped forward Sean Monahan and a conditional 2025 first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in return for future considerations to make room for Kadri on their payroll.
“That’s one of the reasons it took so long,” Kadri said from Paris, where he’s on vacation.
The 31-year-old Ontarian was one of the best players available on the free agent market this summer, after the most productive season of his career and winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche.
He believes he has a chance to win top honors again with the Flames.
“You want to win and that was a big factor in my decision to come to Calgary,” Kadri said. The team is mature and I believe it has proven it with its actions and with my arrival. »
Forget departures
Last season, Kadri had 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 games with the Avalanche. He added 15 points in 16 playoff games, including scoring the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He was then making a comeback after sustaining an injury in Game 3 of the Western Finals against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Flames hope the arrivals of Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau will overshadow the departures of star forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk.
Gaudreau left via the free agent market after setting a personal best with 115 points. He preferred to move closer to home and eventually signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Tkachuk, who had 104 points last winter, was traded to the Florida Panthers for Huberdeau and defenseman Mackenzie Weegar.
Tkachuk could have become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and the Flames preferred to act quickly rather than risk seeing him go without getting anything in return.
Huberdeau also exploded last season with 115 points and he was good enough to link his future to that of the Flames by signing an 8-year, $84 million contract extension.
“It’s normal to be worried when you lose two players of this caliber,” Kadri said. But I believe that Brad [Treliving, le directeur général des Flames] did a great job of getting quality players. »
This isn’t the first time the Flames have tried to get Kadri. The latter had used his no-trade clause in 2019 when he wore the colors of the Toronto Maple Leafs to cancel a transaction. Kadri was then traded to the Avalanche on 1er July 2019.
“I couldn’t see myself leaving [Toronto], said Kadri, returning to this situation. It had nothing to do with Calgary or the organization. I wanted to stay where I was. »
“It’s important for me to clarify that. It’s important because I’ve always admired Calgary and Canada in general. I am Canadian. I love playing in Canada, but yeah, it’s kind of ironic, but the Flames have always been on my radar. »
The London, Ont., native still hasn’t had his day with the Stanley Cup this summer, but plans to bring it to his hometown.
Kadri also wants to bring him to Toronto, where he spent his first eight NHL seasons.
“I grew up a lot in this city and there are still a lot of people who support me,” he said.