NHL insider drops truth bomb over Nazem Kadri, Rasmus Andersson trade buzz after Flames prez’s honest comments

Trade talk around the Calgary Flames increased in recent weeks, but a new update has changed the conversation. The Flames’ current record reflects why questions keep coming up, because they sit at 8-13-3, second last in the league.

On the 32 Thoughts podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said the Flames are not seeing strong offers for their top players. He explained that teams have not brought forward deals that would make Calgary consider major moves.

"There are not a lot of great offers flowing right now," Friedman said on Monday. [26:23 onwards] "Like, I can tell you right now, even if the Flames wanted to trade Nazem Kadri, as of Saturday, there was no offer there that was making them say, 'Maybe we should trade Nazem Kadri.'

"And the same case was for Blake Coleman, and the same case was for MacKenzie Weegar. The same case was for Rasmus Anderson; the same case was for anybody else on that team."

Friedman listed Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, MacKenzie Weegar, and Rasmus Andersson as players without meaningful trade interest. So, even if the Flames wanted a full rebuild, nothing on the table pushed them in that direction.

"You might want to throw that into that list," Friedman said. "There was no trade offer, like, even if the Flames wanted to tear it down to the studs, there wasn't anything on their desk last week that was going to say, 'Oh boy, we reject this deal. We might really regret it in five years.'

"And that was why, I think, the timing didn't work, because there was nothing like if you got to the trade deadline and it got out that you rejected really good deals because you didn't want to tear down."

Friedman suggested the organization is waiting for better market conditions.

Kadri and Andersson's importance to the Calgary Flames

Nazem Kadri has been Calgary’s most productive forward. He leads the team with 18 points and 14 assists in 24 games. He logs over 20 minutes per night and plays in all situations. His strong puck play stands out even as the team struggles. His leadership remains important for a roster lacking consistency.

Rasmus Andersson continues to anchor the defense. He averages 24:24 in ice time and has 16 points in 24 games. His power-play work and transition play help stabilize the team. His +4 rating shows his effort despite the team's struggles. For these reasons, the Flames are not eager to move him unless a major offer appears.