Calgary Flames go all-in on this group with Nazem Kadri signing

To think that a few weeks ago we were talking about the Flames rebuilding.

After shocking the hockey world by trading Matthew Tkachuk for two high-end talents a year away from unrestricted free agency and then signing one of them, Jonathan Huberdeau, to an enormous max-term contract extension, Flames general manager Brad Treliving made another huge splash by adding Stanley Cup champion centre Nazem Kadri.

Kadri will reportedly sign a seven-year deal to join the Flames. This follows over a month of speculation regarding where the 31-year-old, coming off a career-high 87-point season and generally considered one of the top players on the free agent market, would sign. Rumours swirled for weeks that the New York Islanders were the most likely destination, making this an even more shocking development.

The 2021-22 season was one to remember for the former Maple Leafs and Avalanche centre. He bested his previous career high in points by 26 despite missing 11 games in one of the most surprising contract-year glow-ups in recent memory. He was a major factor in the Avalanche's Stanley Cup victory, scoring 15 points in 16 games including a memorable overtime winner in the Cup Finals. As a result, he has signed a long-term deal that far exceeds what anybody would have anticipated a year ago.