2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[flambers]

Personally I doubt the Flames will retain salary with Kadri simply to many years remaining

If a trade does occur

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by flambers

Personally I doubt the Flames will retain salary with Kadri simply to many years remaining

If a trade does occur

I don't think they will, but that should be the play. IMO Montreal adding Kadri is great now, but probably does not make sense for their timeline.

Kadri at a reduced salary allows them to use him as their 2nd line center for the next year or 2, but if he regresses, he can play a 4th line role when the team's window to contend truly opens. They need his salary to line up with that role.

Flames should be using that as the asset needed to get what they want. I just don't see any players other than Parekh that will get big raises before the RS is off the books. If they bottom out, they could use that RS to keep them at the floor for the next couple years.

[flambers]

I understand the concept just think its very unlikely

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

The Habs say no. You are not getting Hage for a salary retained Kadri. I'm sure the Habs would be interested in Kadri if they continue to play well but they are not parting with Hage.

Well they basically have two or three prospects worth going after - Hage, Kapanen or maybe Reinbacher if the injuries don’t scare you with him. Not sure they need Reinbacher anyway as the Flames look like they may have 3 NHL level right shot dmen for the foreseeable future (Parekh, Weegar, Hunter B) with Mews in the pipeline.

So in my mind it is Kapanen or Hage. I personally have no interest in any of the Habs wingers with Coronato, Honzek, Gridin, huberdeau and Sharangovich looking like they are NHL ready wingers or on contracts that cannot be moved that will be with the team long term.

Add in Battaglia, Basha, Suniev and Wytennbach as prospect wingers the Flames don’t need a winger.

If the Habs can’t move a center I would look at another team as I don’t think the Flames need another Basha level winger prospect.

[Sandman]

Geez, I really think RHC Owen Beck is being overlooked as a Canadiens prospect worth acquiring. True, he’s a notch or two below Hage and Reinbacher, but he’s a good player in his own right, with good potential…

[Vinny01]

Kadri is 35. Being able to get a 1st+ would be a great return. I can’t think of a situation where a team traded their top prospect for someone that old?

I think the Habs make a ton of sense if if the keep Hage. Kadri’s 3 years remaining would coincide with Hage’s ELC. Kadri would be the 2C and ideally for the Habs would regress to a 3C at some point over those 3 years.

[Toast_Man]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Kadri is 35. Being able to get a 1st+ would be a great return. I can’t think of a situation where a team traded their top prospect for someone that old?

I think the Habs make a ton of sense if if the keep Hage. Kadri’s 3 years remaining would coincide with Hage’s ELC. Kadri would be the 2C and ideally for the Habs would regress to a 3C at some point over those 3 years.

Exactly this. Kadri would be a great stopgap until Hage is ready to move into a 2C role.

[Sandman]

I agree, I can’t see the Habs giving up a prospect of the caliber of a Hage for a mid-thirties player- no matter how good that player is.

[Vinny01]

I am good stockpiling picks as those are some of the best assets to have in abundance when players become available via trade.

I do think the Flames will get more aggressive in adding core pieces as soon as next summer but they need to draft their stars.

Andersson is the top priority to move as he has an expiring deal. A 1st is a must in the deal in my opinion and hopefully another pick, maybe a prospect/cap dump. For Kadri I consider dealing him if the offer is right and I do think teams will step up. The only way I see no deal is if Kadri flat out says he wants to stay here then I think Conroy honors that. For Coleman I am interested in the return. If retention can get the team a 1st then I think they need to do it. If the offers are 2nd+3rd I am not rushing him out the door.


Having extra picks and prospects available for trade are among the best assets to use to acquire a RFA who isn’t looking to sign with his team. Like how we got Dougie in 2015, or how the Habs got Dobson last year.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Geez, I really think RHC Owen Beck is being overlooked as a Canadiens prospect worth acquiring. True, he’s a notch or two below Hage and Reinbacher, but he’s a good player in his own right, with good potential…

Beck is a good prospect, I missed him. But I would have no interest in the Habs prospects on the wings, we have 4-6 prospects that are as good or better than their prospects on the wings.

[Muta]

Let's be honest here... there's a damn good fit here with the Habs. And with Kadri's age and remaining contract, the Habs' current needs and likely desire to just keep Hage - Kadri for Montreal's 2026 1st and Owen Beck is likely the fairest and most realistic deal for both sides.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by flambers

Personally I doubt the Flames will retain salary with Kadri simply to many years remaining

If a trade does occur

Three more years, so it's tough. But if the return is there, I could see $2M of retention. It's a small enough amount that the Flames could handle it without too much concern, and it's enough to make Kadri extremely attractive.

$5M is 3rd liner money now. Getting an elite 2nd line C, with significant cup experience for that is extremely attractive.

[Enoch Root]

I don't know if you can pry Hage out of MTL, but I think Kadri can garner a pretty solid return.

And you sure as hell don't throw Gridin into a trade

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Muta

Let's be honest here... there's a damn good fit here with the Habs. And with Kadri's age and remaining contract, the Habs' current needs and likely desire to just keep Hage - Kadri for Montreal's 2026 1st and Owen Beck is likely the fairest and most realistic deal for both sides.

Ideally if the Habs throw in a cap dump like Dach the Flames could also get another pick like a 2nd in the deal. I do see the Flames needing to take some salary back for any Kadri deal

[Calgary4LIfe]

I don't think that the owners would necessarily be averse to retaining on Kadri, but I just don't think the return would be worth doing. The cap is rising every year for the foreseeable future - probably as long as Kadri has left on his deal. So many teams are flush with cap space right now. I don't see the return going up substantially enough to warrant it given the present and expected future environment.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I agree, I can’t see the Habs giving up a prospect of the caliber of a Hage for a mid-thirties player- no matter how good that player is.

Then another team can acquire Kadri! No big deal for us, we should not be locked into a single team's prospects for a return. There are 32-13= 19 teams that Kadri can be traded to. Even if he was very strategic with his list to block potential acquiring locations, it should comfortably leave 3-5 candidates who are both interested and have better pieces than Owen Beck to offer us.

If the Canadiens want to play they should pitch their best stuff.

[Monahammer]

If Owen Beck is so good, then the Canadiens can count on him as their future 2C and shouldnt be so concerned about giving up Hage!

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by Muta

Let's be honest here... there's a damn good fit here with the Habs. And with Kadri's age and remaining contract, the Habs' current needs and likely desire to just keep Hage - Kadri for Montreal's 2026 1st and Owen Beck is likely the fairest and most realistic deal for both sides.

I think we should be swinging for higher upside, even if it is in areas we have depth:
-Zharovsky (18) appears to have a top 3 ceiling and has been playing reps at C in the KHL.
-Pickford (19) is a RD that is PPG in the WHL
-Eriksson (20) is a PPG C in the SHL
-Kapanen (22) is playing 2nd line C presently for the Habs as a rookie and doing well. Probably has a floor equivalent with Beck's ceiling.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Then another team can acquire Kadri! No big deal for us, we should not be locked into a single team's prospects for a return. There are 32-13= 19 teams that Kadri can be traded to. Even if he was very strategic with his list to block potential acquiring locations, it should comfortably leave 3-5 candidates who are both interested and have better pieces than Owen Beck to offer us.

If the Canadiens want to play they should pitch their best stuff.

Originally Posted by Monahammer

If Owen Beck is so good, then the Canadiens can count on him as their future 2C and shouldnt be so concerned about giving up Hage!

I don’t see any team giving their 1A prospects for a mid-thirties player, unless they are cup contenders- and I doubt any of those teams have a center prospect as good as Hage in their pipeline currently.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I don’t see any team giving their 1A prospects for a mid-thirties player, unless they are cup contenders- and I doubt any of those teams have a center prospect as good as Hage in their pipeline currently.

I think Zharovsky is their 1A. Or Demidov. Hage is in their top 3 prospects for sure.