Could the Toronto Maple Leafs be preparing to move young center Nazem Kadri before the trade deadline on March 5? General manager Dave Nonis said recently that the team would "be willing to" move Kadri before the deadline if the right offer is made.
CBS Sports reports that Nonis made an appearance on TSN Radio Thursday and talked about a number of rumored potential trades that the team may make within the next few weeks and he said that the team would be open to dealing Kadri.
"Kadri and [Jake] Gardiner's names are brought up quite a bit, so is [Morgan] Rielly's. We'd be willing to trade Kadri," Nonis said on the program via CBS Sports.
Nonis also added that "there's a difference between willing to and trying to" and that they would only do it if the "right deal comes up."
It appears that if someone comes in with a good enough offer, the GM would pull the trigger on a deal if the team gets the right return. Nonis didn't just limit it to Kadri, however, as he said that if people came at them with the right offer for James van Riemsdyk he would also pull the trigger.
"If the right deal for JVR comes up we would do that to. We're willing to trade anyone if it means our club gets better," he said per CBS Sports.
Kadri, 23, has 11 goals and 16 assists for 37 points thus far this season through 45 games, which is behind his pace of 44 points in the 48-game lockout-shortened season last year, but the young center still has promise and has shown his ability to score throughout his young career.
Kadri is a restircted free agent after next season. He was drafted by the Leafs with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and is currently signed to a three-year deal worth $5,250.00.
Kadri has appeared in 144 NHL games and has 37 goals and 53 assists for 90 points. It remains to be seen if the Leafs will move him, but from the sound of their general manager nobody is untouchable.
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