Trading away Mitch Marner solved nothing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. If anything, it left Auston Matthews and company in search for answers. On the bright side, Toronto reportedly won’t have to compete with the Montreal Canadiens for one of their favorite targets in the NHL.
The 2025 NHL offseason has been dramatic enough for the Maple Leafs. Yet, it hasn’t even been a month since it began. Hoping to calm the waters going forward, Toronto could be eyeing the return of a former teammate of Matthews and company.
Calgary Flames star Nazem Kadri has been a name swirling around in several rumors around the NHL. His potential return to the Leafs would be one of the biggest storylines going into the 2025-26 season.
While Kadri could make an immediate impact on almost every team in the league, reports indicate the Canadiens aren’t interested in the 34-year-old forward. Therefore, the Leafs might have a clear runway to land the Ontario native, bolstering the lineup after Marner’s departure. Of course, Kadri has taken notice of the rumors, as he broke silence amid Toronto’s reported interest in him.
Nazem Kadri #91 of the Calgary Flames looks on during the first period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on February 02, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.
“Talking to a team source with the Canadiens, there’s no interest [in Kadri] right now,” insider Jimmy Murphy said on The Sick Podcast. “He’s a player they respect, but in terms of what they’re looking for, where they are, and their ascension to contend it doesn’t make sense. Right now, this doesn’t fit what the Canadiens are looking for. Not a knock on the player, it’s about his cap issue and his age.“
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What could’ve been?
Marner had made up his mind to leave Toronto long before the trade to the Vegas Golden Knights was completed. He had received interest from several teams in the NHL, many of them big contenders. However, the forward might have left bigger offers on the table. One might say, Marner made sure not to be greedy when moving to Sin City.
“I don’t know what the number would’ve been for the Carolina Hurricanes, but it would’ve been bigger than 12×8. I’m sure of that,” insider Chris Johnston stated, per @NHL_Watcher on X.
Mitchell Marner takes a breather against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 12, 2025.
The pressure is on them
Toronto has no shortage of stars. A lineup including the likes of Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies is not seen often in the NHL. Still, the sentiment after Marner’s trade is that the Leafs are missing firepower.
On that note a recent report around the league suggests the Maple Leafs are amongst the teams under the most pressure to acquire a household name. “Teams that are under the most intense pressure to add a game-changing player include Edmonton, Toronto, Colorado and Los Angeles,” insider Nick Kypreos said, per Sportsnet.
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There’s plenty of time for the Maple Leafs to make tweaks to their lineup. But the clock is ticking for the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Toronto will open the season at home against Montreal in October 8. Whether Kadri is on the ice at Scotiabank Arena or not, that’s a whole other story.
