Maple Leafs Run Into Major Snag in Talks With Flames Over Nazem Kadri

Trading Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche in July of 2019 has been seen as one of Kyle Dubas' biggest mistakes during his time as Leafs GM.

Fast-forward six years and Brad Treliving is reportedly trying to undo Dubas' previous mistake, checking in on the availability of the 34-year-old in Calgary.

After another disappointing playoff exit, it became apparent that the Leafs needed an improvement down the middle of the lineup. Treliving has added in Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua, but neither are the offensive center the Leafs need.

Kadri, on the other hand, is coming off of a very productive season in Calgary, where he tallied 35 goals and 67 points in 82 games. Entering the fourth year of a seven-year deal that he signed with Calgary when Treliving was GM of the Flames, it's no surprise that the Leafs' GM has shown an interest in the London, Ontario native.

Unfortunately, the Leafs appear to have hit a major snag in attempting to acquire the forward. According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, the Flames, as we saw in Treliving's attempts to acquire Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev, refuse to deal with the Leafs, meaning that any offer Treliving puts forth for Kadri would have to be a massive overpay.

Further complicating things, according to Kypreos, is that Kadri is not readily available and has not asked for a trade, nor have the Flames asked him to waive his no-movement clause.

Kadri has been open to returning to the Leafs since the departures of Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan, but at this point, it seems unlikely unless he specifically asks for a trade to Toronto.