Kadri expects Flames to play freely after being 'a little restricted last year'

Even though the personnel changes have been minimal so far this offseason, Nazem Kadri believes viewers will see a new-look Calgary Flames team in 2023-24.

"I think a lot of guys on the team are ready to kind of play to their potential," Kadri told NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "For whatever reason, we got a little restricted last year, so I'm just looking forward to a clean slate and starting the year off strong."

After missing the playoffs last year despite lofty preseason expectations, the Flames' only notable roster move has been trading leading scorer Tyler Toffoli for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick. However, Calgary replaced general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Darryl Sutter with Craig Conroy and Ryan Huska, respectively.

Kadri was one of several Flames players - including winger Jonathan Huberdeau and goaltender Jacob Markstrom - to have a down season in 2022-23. The center recorded 56 points in 82 games after notching a career-high 87 in 71 contests the year prior with the Colorado Avalanche.

But Kadri believes the club will play more freely under Huska in 2023-24, which will lead to better results.

"Any time you get fresh faces, it's just a new energy and a new enthusiasm," Kadri said. "So, of course, with the type of personnel we have, we can play creative. We have a lot of skill."

However, there's still plenty of time between now and the start of the season for Conroy to make significant changes to the current roster. After all, the new GM said in his introductory press conference that he doesn't want to let key players walk for free, as Johnny Gaudreau did a year ago.

Kadri, who's signed for six more years, likely isn't going anywhere. However, the team has several players entering the final years of their deals, including Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov, who've all been the subject of trade speculation.