MAPLE LEAFS DAILY | NHL TEAM | TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Insider reveals who he thinks the frontrunners are on Kadri; there's also a conspiracy theory that Kadri has already signed

PUBLICATION

Mike Armenti
July 30, 2022 (3:47 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

We are over two weeks into free agency, and still, one of the primary UFA targets remains available as Nazem Kadri seems to be taking his time to find the right fit on his next deal -- probably the last big money deal of his career. At this point, there haven't been any real frontrunners announced, so it's really anyone's guess where Kadri ends up.

If you are going to take anyone's guess into consideration, it's probably Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, one of the NHL's most trusted insiders. On his most recent edition of 32 Thoughts, Friedman suggested that Colorado, Long Island, Calgary and Detroit would be his best guesses as to who the frontrunners are in the Kadri sweepstakes.

"If I had to guess -- and believe me, this is a guess -- I think Colorado and the Islanders are probably the favourites [for Nazem Kadri]. I think there's been some interest from Calgary, but I find it very hard to quantify. I wouldn't be surprised if you're right about Detroit kicking around there too.

"One of the things that I do think Calgary is weighing is, does it make them easier to sell Huberdeau/Weegar on a winner if Kadri is there? Just a matter of, can you fit all the pieces of the puzzle together? But I do think Calgary is considering that whole idea."

-Friedman on Kadri to Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts podcast

Another thing to consider here that Friedman did not touch on is the fact that it was Lou Lamoriello who signed Nazem Kadri to his last long-term deal during his time in Toronto. Might Kadri want to reunite with Lou in Long Island? Jeff Marek had proposed a bit of a conspiracy theory that Kadri already has a deal in place with Lamoriello and the Islanders and that it would not be announced for months yet. Friedman didn't do much to dissuade that line of thought, conceding that it could actually be true.

Part of the problem there is that Kadri was reportedly seeking as much as $9M-$10M per season on a long-term deal on the free agent market. The Islanders are currently sitting on approximately $11M in cap space, but still have yet to sign defensemen Noah Dobson to his big money, long-term deal, as well as newcomer Alexander Romanov, who is likely to see a raise from the $900K he earned on his ELC.

Romanov seems most likely to be bridged, but the Isles may be better served to try to ink Dobson longer-term now before the salary cap rises in a couple of seasons and he's really able to rake them over the coals. If the Isles can get both locked up for less than $4M total, that would leave just $6M-$7M for Kadri. Would he go that low? Could the Isles consider moving another forward with a large cap hit to make some additional room for Kadri to get into that $8M and up price range? Does Kadri even want to sign with a team who did not make the playoffs last season?

Just a few things to consider. If I had to guess though, I'd imagine that Kadri is planning on returning to Colorado to run it back with the Avs after winning the first Cup of his career in Denver and proving all of his doubters wrong.

Loading from Twitter ...

Previously on Maple Leafs Daily

Insider reveals what long-term deals for Huberdeau and Weegar will look like in Calgary if they sign long-term

Leafs top prospect will likely start on the top line for Team USA at the World Juniors

Matthews appears in new Lids commercial, shares his love of hats and reveals his favourite styles; He's not going anywhere

POLL
JUILLET 30 \| 1218 ANSWERS Insider reveals who he thinks the frontrunners are on Kadri; there's also a conspiracy theory that Kadri has already signed Where do you think Kadri is headed?
Colorado	449	36.9 %
Long Island	325	26.7 %
Calgary	212	17.4 %
Other	232	19 %
List of polls

Insider reveals who he thinks the frontrunners are on Kadri; there's also a conspiracy theory that Kadri has already signed

Where do you think Kadri is headed?