Drama is back in full force in Ontario. The Toronto Maple Leafs are bracing for Mitch Marner’s exit, though it remains unclear how it will unfold. Whether he’s traded or walks in free agency, Auston Matthews and company are set to lose a key teammate. Desperate times may call for urgent measures—such as the return of a familiar face ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season.
There’s a reason why you should never burn bridges. The Maple Leafs seem to have learned that lesson, as reports indicate they’re now targeting a former star in The Six. When one door closes, another one opens up—and that might just happen with Marner‘s departure.
Matthews and the Leafs have their work cut out for them heading into the upcoming NHL season. The task? The same as last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. Toronto cares about one thing and one thing only—the Stanley Cup. Fans are desperate to see the 50-plus-year drought end. Whether it’s with Marner, Matthews, or anyone else—that’s somewhat irrelevant.
On that note, the Leafs could be hoping to repair their relationship with a former player on the organization. As reports indicate Calgary Flames star Nazem Kadri is being sought after by several NHL sides, it didn’t take long before Toronto’s name popped up.
Nazem Kadri #91 of the Calgary Flames skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 10, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
“Teams have been inquiring about Flames’ Nazem Kadri. Toronto would be one of them,” insider Nick Kypreos said in dialogue with Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
see also
NHL News: Mitch Marner remains in suspense amid possible trade between Golden Knights and Maple Leafs
The return of an outcast
Kadri’s exit from Toronto was far from a dream situation in the NHL. All in all, his entire stay in The Six was marred by controversies and sanctions. The infamous suspension for cross-checking during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs determined the franchise’s decision to actively shop the centerman.
However, even that chapter had drama in store. Kadri was not directly informed of the team’s intentions. The forward vetoed a trade to the Calgary Flames, who were on his 12-team no-trade list, before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche.
A dejected Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs leaves the ice for the last time this season after losing to the Florida Panthers in Game Seven of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Full circle
Kadri’s move to the Avalanche changed everything. During his second year in Denver, he recorded a career-high 87 points in a season, helping the team hoist the Stanley Cup. As fate would have it, Kadri would eventually join the Flames, but as a free agent in 2022.
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It hasn’t panned out, though, as Calgary and Kadri have failed to make the postseason in each of the three seasons since the former seventh overall pick in 2009 joined the ‘C of Red’. Now, as Kadri enters the fourth year of his seven-year deal with Calgary, the Flames might make him available—and Matthews and the Leafs could emerge as frontrunners to acquire the London, Ontario native.
