Nazem Kadri doesn’t hate the Flames, but wanted to remain a Leaf – it turned out poorly
By Ryan Pike
4 years agoNazem Kadri appeared on the latest edition of the 31 Thoughts podcast this week and among the topics he discussed was whether or not he blocked a trade to the Calgary Flames… and why. Kadri was surprisingly forthcoming about the topic.
(Via Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun):
What happened is they had a deal in place and they wanted me to move my no-trade clause… Obviously, for me, it was no disrespect to Calgary or the Flames organization — I love their team and I love the direction they’re headed. I just figured that had I declined, I would have had a better opportunity of being a Maple Leaf next year, and that’s really what it came down to.
After blocking the trade to the Flames, who were on his no-trade list, Kadri was instead traded to the Colorado Avalanche (who weren’t). It appears Kadri is fully aware of the irony of the situation.
“I wanted to play for the Leafs next year. I wanted to be a part of that. In declining that trade, I had aspirations of being a Leaf, and we know clearly that didn’t happen.”
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