Nazem Kadri takes a shot at Maple Leafs when speaking on Flames’ drama!

When top forward Nazem Kadri joined the Calgary Flames last summer as a free agent, he never expected this kind of roller-coaster season. The Flames missed out on the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference by two points this past season and were caught in a messy relationship with controversial head coach Darryl Sutter. Some players have admitted they want out, including Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund and Noah Hanifin who have said they weren’t interested in signing extensions. Tyler Toffoli had made similar comments and was traded to the New Jersey Devils. Sutter was let go, along with GM Brad Treliving, pointing to less drama in the coming season.

But it does not matter to Kadri, who spoke on Sportsnet 960 on Friday about how his time in Toronto has made him unfazed about that sort of thing considering he started his NHL career with the Maple Leafs.

“I played in Toronto for 10 years. I can shrug things off pretty easily,” Kadri said. “It’s a non-issue. I like looking back on seasons and reflecting on seasons, pointing out certain things that I feel I’ve got to improve on and it keeps me motivated throughout the summer. In terms of hanging onto that, I don’t think that’s really a problem for any of us. I think we’re just going to approach it with a clean slate next year.”

It was a tough season for Kadri, who joined the Flames on a seven-year, $49-million contract last August after Calgary traded Matthew Tkachuk and lost Johnny Gaudreau in free agency. He put up 24 goals and 32 assists in 82 games in his first season with the Flames after registering a career-high 87 points with the Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22.

Kadri is confident the changes in Calgary, including Ryan Huska taking over as head coach, will put the Flames back on track towards the playoffs and a championship.

“I’ve got faith in Husk,” Kadri said. “I’ve talked to him several times one-on-one since the news broke. I really like where his head’s at. I think he’s a smart guy. He’s got some coaching experience … (is) familiar with the franchise and the players surrounding the organization, so that’s a huge help to find somebody in house like that who already knows what’s going on. …”

Kadri may be using Toronto as a way to deflect from what’s happening in Calgary, but let’s not remind him that the Maple Leafs made it into the postseason and not the Flames…

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