Nazem Kadri is the Calgary Flames’ offensive driver, and has been for the most part during his three-season tenure, this being his fourth.

As explosive a player as he is and as potent an offensive threat as he’s proved to be, Kadri is not necessarily used to being a team’s number one threat with the puck. Everywhere else that he’s been, he’s had one or multiple players ahead of him on the offensive totem pole. In Toronto there was Phil Kessel and later Auston Matthews to take the pressure off, and in Colorado, Kadri was supplanted by a plethora of dynamic players, all who drew more defensive attention from the opposition than himself.

This is not to take anything away from Kadri, who’s been on some very formidable playoff teams before his time with the Flames, but it is to say that the veteran centre has dealt with a different set of circumstances in Calgary than he’s used to. Kadri has actually thrived in his new role, he set a career high in goals last season (35) and has had his second and third highest scoring seasons as a member of the Flames, 75 points in 2023-24 and 67 this past season.

The now 35-year-old has a lot on his plate again, and he’ll need to put the Flames’ starless forward group on his back for stretches of the season if they’re to score enough to punch a post-season ticket.

With all of that said, let’s dive into what we can expect from Naz in 2025-26.

Craig Conroy and company did not change much about the Flames over the off-season, and that’s totally fine for a team that’s still in a rebuilding state and needs room for its young players to grow. However, because the make-up of the forward group is essentially the same as it was, there is still just as much pressure on Kadri to produce another career-best season in his age-35 campaign, as there was when he was 34 and 33.

I don’t believe this is the year the wheels fall off for Kadri, he seems to be aging like wine, but all good things must come to an end, and Kadri is currently defying father time’s trajectories for most players.

65+ points is a tall ask for a guy who didn’t hit that mark at all in his first 11 professional seasons, but at the moment, the Flames aren’t in any position to ask any less of Kadri.

In a vacuum, a 50-60 point year from an aging vet could be considered a triumph, but considering the current landscape of the Flames’ offensive production, they can ill-afford for Kadri to regress, even a little.

In all likelihood, the London, Ontario native has another stellar year, but the reality is if he doesn’t, that’s a scary prospect for the Flames who’s remaining forward group is very murky. If not Kadri to lead them in scoring, then who will it be, Jonathan Huberdeau? Blake Coleman? Maybe Matt Coronato? But that’s a lot to ask of a 22-year-old.

Expectations for Kadri are inherently higher than they probably should be because Calgary lacks a better option, and essentially needs him to be the best version of himself if they’re to be playing in May.

Kadri’s career high is 75 points, set back in 2023-24 with the Flames. If Calgary can get another year of that calibre from Kadri, they’ll have a good shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

It’s a lot of points, but Kadri will have every opportunity to hit that mark, he’ll likely pace all Flames’ forwards in time on ice, and will be a staple on the lead power play unit. Kadri will be relied upon to create on a nightly basis, and the Flames will go as far as he can take them in 2025-26.

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