Nazem Kadri latest Flames player to speak out

Things haven't exactly gone smoothly for the Calgary Flames this season, who right now find themselves fighting for their playoff lives amidst a campaign of high profile players underachieving both offensively and between the pipes. 

Amidst several clashes between the likes of 1st year Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau and hard-nosed old school bench boss Darryl Sutter, there's been another influx of reported player outspokenness on the Flames. Another 1st year Flames forward in Nazem Kadri, who helped the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup last season, is reportedly "very vocal" about how he sees the Flames being run.

“Kadri gets benched. It’s a weird benching to me. The one thing I’ll say about Kadri is the best thing about him is… he’s blunt. He’s going to say what’s on his mind,” Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman explained during this week's edition of his 32 Thoughts podcast. 

“I’ve heard that Kadri’s been very vocal about what he sees going on in Calgary and why the team isn’t firing on all cylinders. And I think he’s been very blunt about just the communication between players and the coach there. I’m betting some of that frustration boiled over in that game on Saturday night. I’m curious to see where this is all gonna go.”

It was Kane who was lured from the Rocky Mountains to Alberta this past August, inking seven-year, $49-million deal with the Flames that will keep him under contract until he hits 39 years of age. 

Meanwhile, Sutter is under contract for another season, while general manager Brad Treliving's deal expires this summer. It remains to be seen exactly how the Flames will be going forward with Sutter, who led them to to a division title last season but has experienced numerous public exchanges with his players this year.