La Di Da Di, What to do about Kadri

You can't help but have an uneasy feeling about a player when the Ottawa Senators are desperate to draft him.

     

 Heading in to last offseason there was much speculation that the Leafs would try and move either Jake Gardiner or Nazem Kadri, some reports had the Leafs trying to move both players. Now personally I think Gardiner will be a stud once he gets a coach that won't bench him every other night and actually allow him to play and make mistakes like a young player should be allowed to do. For a while I have been on the "DON'T TRADE KADRI YOU IDIOTS HES GOING TO BE AMAZING" side of the argument, after a bit of soul searching and observing his less than stellar start to the 2014-15 season, it had me thinking... Would moving Kadri be such a bad idea as he is due for another contract at this seasons conclusion.

    

   Many arguments can be made for both points of view on the issue; Kadri hasn't had enough opportunity to play a 1C role, Kadri has been given opportunities and never seized them, he had his time to develop in the AHL had one solid NHL season and has since disappeared, he is still too young to give up on and the Leafs will regret trading him etc. You can’t help but wonder if under a different coach Kadri would see more production. Perhaps all Kadri needs to get going is the opportunity to start the season as the 1C and let him run with it for more than 3 or 4 games here or there, who knows. On the flip side, is it time to move Kadri? Seeing has how he hasn’t matured in to the player we had all hoped he would be, he has shown flashes of brilliance in his time with the Leafs. In the lockout shortened 48 game season Kadri was unreal (48 GP 18G, 26A, 44Pts) now some may debate this was caused due to the fact it was a contract year for Kadri, however he looked dominant nonetheless.

  

   Best case scenario for both the Leafs and Kadri would be for Carlyle to allow Kadri to assume the 1C role for the 2014-15 season, unless he proved himself to be unable to perform on the team’s top line. There is some evidence to suggest that Kadri plays at a higher level when accompanying Phil Kessel on the top line, both in traditional stats (G,A,Pts) and advanced stats as both Kadri and Kessel experience a jump in their Corsi possession numbers, which is something the Leafs first line (criticized for its lack of defensive play) could stand to dramatically improve.

   

No question about it, the Leafs have a tough decision to make at the end of this season when Kadri’s agent comes calling looking for a new deal. Assuming his play picks up and he proves he is worth a big contract, Kadri is off to a less than stellar start to the season (10  As far back as the 09’ draft when the Leafs used the 7^th overall selection to take Kadri I was mildly skeptical, to me he just didn’t seem like he would fit with the Leafs, and so far, that assumption has proved correct. Most recently Kadri has been on the hot seat for his comments following the Leafs less than inspiring performance against the Boston bruins, a game in which the Leafs looked like they could have been outworked by a timbits hockey team. Kadri has had a few memorable interviews already this season, the first in which he sort of kind of compared himself to John Taveres (also drafted in 2009), and the most recent where he commented on how the team needs to compete at a higher level, and start caring more. Kadri is a significant member of the team from the media’s point of view, and quotes like that often leave him in hot water, especially when he is seen as one of the faces of the franchise. Media aside, Kadri must get some kudos for trying to be a leader and speak up about the way the team is playing.

GP, 2G, 0A, 2Pts) and has been practically invisible most nights.

  Hopefully Kadri is given the chance to prove his worth this season, and given the opportunity to play on the first line with Kessel, believe me, I would love nothing more than to see Kadri turn in to the stud we all hope he will be, when he is on he is a game changer. However, if the trade deadline rolls around and he has had another middle of the road season, I think testing the waters to see what sort of return he would command might not be a bad idea. Although, knowing the Leafs they will trade him and he will turn out to be a perennial 40 goal scorer in the NHL.

 Let us know what you think, would you trade Kadri? Am I a fool for even considering the Leafs move him, what would you want to see in return for a player like Kadri. Post your comments below !