Kadri signs 2 year Deal

[hf101]

It has been a long drawn out process as both sides were far apart, but a 2 year $5.8M seems like a decent compromise.  

 

I guess we will see Franson sign now for about 3M.

[Rusty]

Just read this over at Sportsnet forum.......a lot of Leaf fans cannot stand Damien, me I like him!

 

Maple Leafs: Kadri signs, but relationship far from cozy

Maple Leafs and Nazem Kadri have awkward relationship that isn't getting any better, despite two year deal in place

 

By: Damien Cox Sports Columnist, Published on Wed Sep 11 2013

 

From Damien Cox’s blog The Spin.

 

Of course Nazem Kadri caved.

 

Then again, he’s just received a 75 per cent pay increase and at the tender age of 22 will earn $2.9 million this season as the second line centre for the Maple Leafs.

 

May we all “cave” at work today in such fashion.

 

Yes, Kadri wanted more, a lot more, with many more zeroes and more than a two-year commitment. Something in the neighborhood of John Tavares’ deal with the Islanders, six years and $33 million.

 

After one lockout-shortened season, it’s hard to say whether his demands were delusional and the product of an inexperienced agent, or perhaps a canny play to set the bar unreasonably high and then settle for a “bridge” contract that’s a little richer than most have been involving similar players.

 

Maybe it will impact similar contractual disputes between the Rangers and Derek Stepan and Buffalo and Cody Hodgson, maybe it won’t.

 

Aside from the financial implications, however, there’s a larger story here, and it’s that the relationship between Kadri and the Leafs continues to be fractious. Prickly. Contentious.

 

Pick whatever word you like. But this player and this team remain anything but on the same page.

 

It’s been that way almost since the day Kadri was made a first round pick by Brian Burke, and continues to be so.

 

The team has never been impressed with his commitment to fitness, or lack thereof, which one might think is a basic for elite NHLers. Kadri has pushed back - although, to his credit, never with angry public comments - and received counter-productive support from media types who never see him practice or play but want to tell the world the Leafs are being mean to him.

 

If anything, Kadri is one of the rare examples of a top prospect being intelligently and patiently developed by the Leafs, a franchise that has traditionally rushed and wrecked young players.

 

For that approach with Kadri, the team has been criticized in some corners for unreasonably holding him back.

 

There’s been internal concern about his “lifestyle” and friends. Kadri, for his part, insists he’s done everything that’s been asked of him along the way, which is sort of true and sort of not true. It’s not just been him butting heads with one Leaf figure; in succession Burke, Ron Wilson, Dallas Eakins, Dave Nonis and Randy Carlyle have all found Kadri lacking in terms of professionalism and performance.

 

Other players call him “The Dream” in the Leaf dressing room, and not necessarily in a complimentary way. He took all kinds of ribbing in recent weeks from his teammates for his exorbitant salary demands, and he couldn’t stop himself from publicly insisting he was being “fair” in what he was asking for, which implied his employer was not being fair.

 

So now he’s signed for two years, and now we’ll see if he can back up his self-belief with performance. He’s made it all about points, which means he will be judged by the points he can produce. If he can’t continue at the pace he set last season, Lord knows there will be enough people out there who will scream the team isn’t giving him the proper opportunity, as was the case with Mikhail Grabovski.

 

Which brings us to the truly salient point here; like Grabovski, it’s hard to see this marriage between Kadri and the Leafs being a long-term arrangement.

Even Kadri’s tweet last night after signing seemed muted, measured and anything but celebratory:

 

“Happy to be with leafs for next couple years, looking forward to camp #leafnation #best nation”

 

The Leafs have bought themselves two years to see what they’ve really got in this talented offensive player. But can you really see this player-team relationship going on much longer than that?

 

He might be the most talented offensive player the Leafs have drafted since Vincent Damphousse in ‘86. Or at least since Brad Boyes in 2000.

But Kadri and the Leafs are like bone rubbing against bone right now. The only former top Leaf pick with a similarly problematic relationship with the team who comes to mind would be Al Iafrate, who struggled under a weak organization and with his own insecurities and only truly blossomed after he left Toronto.

 

Iafrate never believed that the team appreciated him, at least not as much as others. You sure get that feeling with Kadri.

 

If Kadri succeeds under this contract, it’ll be with vindication in his heart and massive financial demands, regardless of how the team does. If he doesn’t, this contract fight will resume in two years, and it’ll be nastier, this time with Kadri armed with arbitration rights.

 

The likeliest scenario? Sometime in the next 2-4 years, Kadri will moved elsewhere in the same way Boston moved Tyler Seguin this summer. The Leafs, in calculating fashion, will extract what they can from Kadri’s abilities, then move him for maximum value to another team.

 

It’s not written in stone that way. But a great deal would have to change for this to become a happier, long term relationship.

Sometimes players and teams just don’t fit.

 

Kadri and the Leafs are like a Christmas morning sweater two sizes too small.

 

Uncomfortable.

 

[Rusty]

I like these bridge contracts.

 

Show me what you can do over a longer period of time, vice basing a long term contract on a couple of years.

 

Now we really need to sign Franson, he is our key FA............

[Habsterix]

I'm glad that some GMs are still using common sense when it comes to keeping the motivation with the young players and that's what the bridge deals do. It also allows to keep the cap hit low while the salary cap is at its lowest. I was glad to see Bergevin in Montreal do that with Subban and it's good to see Nonis do the same in Toronto. They avoid the Tyler Myers or Jeff Skinner type of risks by doing that.

[hf101]

Now we really need to sign Franson, he is our key FA............

 

Welcome Rusty!

 

Dreger was reporting that Franson maybe a holdout for camp.... probably a poor decision on his part if true.

[hf101]

I'm glad that some GMs are still using common sense when it comes to keeping the motivation with the young players and that's what the bridge deals do. It also allows to keep the cap hit low while the salary cap is at its lowest. I was glad to see Bergevin in Montreal do that with Subban and it's good to see Nonis do the same in Toronto. They avoid the Tyler Myers or Jeff Skinner type of risks by doing that.

 

I agree. Giroux had a bridge contract as well.  To be fair though to Myers and Skinner both players were injured last season.

[Rusty]

It's the old "Carrot" thingy, keep that carrot just out of reach then show me what you can do for me, not dole out huge sums of money for potential!

 

Crosby did the same thing.

[Rusty]

Me thinks that Liles is going to be moved then that will free up the money for Franson.

 

I agree him sitting right now is not a good thing for him, and the team!

[jammer2]

  Just wondering out loud, how come Cody [Hodgson] got a long term deal and Kadri got a bridge contract?  I suppose it involves Cody playing in more games and having a bigger body of work to judge. Just seems odd that some guys are bypassing the bridge and others are subject to it. Usually, a young player would get signed long term and agents would use that as precedent in securing their clients deal. Why is it some teams seem to dig their heels in and outright refuse to do anything but a bridge contract, cause usually precedent rules the day in these types of squabbles. Not necessarily speaking of the Kadri deal right now, just the league in general. 

Edited September 14, 2013 by radoran
Split from Sabres forum

[radoran]

  Just wondering out loud, how come Cody got a long term deal and Kadri got a bridge contract?  I suppose it involves Cody playing in more games and having a bigger body of work to judge. Just seems odd that some guys are bypassing the bridge and others are subject to it. Usually, a young player would get signed long term and agents would use that as precedent in securing their clients deal. Why is it some teams seem to dig their heels in and outright refuse to do anything but a bridge contract, cause usually precedent rules the day in these types of squabbles. Not necessarily speaking of the Kadri deal right now, just the league in general. 

 

They thought Kadri was Russian.

 

 

In other news, Buffalo and Tronno are in different places in their team development and in need of different assets.

[hf101]

Maybe Kadri should have held out one more day.  He may have gotten a better deal after Hodgson signed.

[flyercanuck]

@radoran

 

 Kadri has also come across as being a bit full of himself since he was drafted. I like his game, but he really needs to shut up and play.

[jammer2]

@radoran

 

 Kadri has also come across as being a bit full of himself since he was drafted. I like his game, but he really needs to shut up and play.

 

 The Leafs upper brass have been vocal about not liking his choice of friends, off ice habits (very broad stoke of the pen there) and attitude in general. He's had run in (and not contractual) with 2 different GM's now. Some say they will let him play out this 2 year stint and trade him off when the time is right, should he not show a very different attitude towards training etc.

[radoran]

The Leafs upper brass have been vocal about not liking his choice of friends, off ice habits (very broad stoke of the pen there) and attitude in general. He's had run in (and not contractual) with 2 different GM's now. Some say they will let him play out this 2 year stint and trade him off when the time is right, should he not show a very different attitude towards training etc.

Is there a dry island in lake ontario?

[jammer2]

@radoran  ha ha...to be fair, I've never heard Kadri's name bantered about in relation to substance abuse (of any kind), just some very broad based statements and hints...but, as we know, where there is smoke, there is usually fire.

[J0e Th0rnton]

 

Just read this over at Sportsnet forum.......a lot of Leaf fans cannot stand Damien, me I like him!

 

Maple Leafs: Kadri signs, but relationship far from cozy

Maple Leafs and Nazem Kadri have awkward relationship that isn't getting any better, despite two year deal in place

 

By: Damien Cox Sports Columnist, Published on Wed Sep 11 2013

 

From Damien Cox’s blog The Spin.

 

Of course Nazem Kadri caved.

 

Then again, he’s just received a 75 per cent pay increase and at the tender age of 22 will earn $2.9 million this season as the second line centre for the Maple Leafs.

 

May we all “cave” at work today in such fashion.

 

Yes, Kadri wanted more, a lot more, with many more zeroes and more than a two-year commitment. Something in the neighborhood of John Tavares’ deal with the Islanders, six years and $33 million.

 

After one lockout-shortened season, it’s hard to say whether his demands were delusional and the product of an inexperienced agent, or perhaps a canny play to set the bar unreasonably high and then settle for a “bridge” contract that’s a little richer than most have been involving similar players.

 

Maybe it will impact similar contractual disputes between the Rangers and Derek Stepan and Buffalo and Cody Hodgson, maybe it won’t.

 

Aside from the financial implications, however, there’s a larger story here, and it’s that the relationship between Kadri and the Leafs continues to be fractious. Prickly. Contentious.

 

Pick whatever word you like. But this player and this team remain anything but on the same page.

 

It’s been that way almost since the day Kadri was made a first round pick by Brian Burke, and continues to be so.

 

The team has never been impressed with his commitment to fitness, or lack thereof, which one might think is a basic for elite NHLers. Kadri has pushed back - although, to his credit, never with angry public comments - and received counter-productive support from media types who never see him practice or play but want to tell the world the Leafs are being mean to him.

 

If anything, Kadri is one of the rare examples of a top prospect being intelligently and patiently developed by the Leafs, a franchise that has traditionally rushed and wrecked young players.

 

For that approach with Kadri, the team has been criticized in some corners for unreasonably holding him back.

 

There’s been internal concern about his “lifestyle” and friends. Kadri, for his part, insists he’s done everything that’s been asked of him along the way, which is sort of true and sort of not true. It’s not just been him butting heads with one Leaf figure; in succession Burke, Ron Wilson, Dallas Eakins, Dave Nonis and Randy Carlyle have all found Kadri lacking in terms of professionalism and performance.

 

Other players call him “The Dream” in the Leaf dressing room, and not necessarily in a complimentary way. He took all kinds of ribbing in recent weeks from his teammates for his exorbitant salary demands, and he couldn’t stop himself from publicly insisting he was being “fair” in what he was asking for, which implied his employer was not being fair.

 

So now he’s signed for two years, and now we’ll see if he can back up his self-belief with performance. He’s made it all about points, which means he will be judged by the points he can produce. If he can’t continue at the pace he set last season, Lord knows there will be enough people out there who will scream the team isn’t giving him the proper opportunity, as was the case with Mikhail Grabovski.

 

Which brings us to the truly salient point here; like Grabovski, it’s hard to see this marriage between Kadri and the Leafs being a long-term arrangement.

Even Kadri’s tweet last night after signing seemed muted, measured and anything but celebratory:

 

“Happy to be with leafs for next couple years, looking forward to camp #leafnation #best nation”

 

The Leafs have bought themselves two years to see what they’ve really got in this talented offensive player. But can you really see this player-team relationship going on much longer than that?

 

He might be the most talented offensive player the Leafs have drafted since Vincent Damphousse in ‘86. Or at least since Brad Boyes in 2000.

But Kadri and the Leafs are like bone rubbing against bone right now. The only former top Leaf pick with a similarly problematic relationship with the team who comes to mind would be Al Iafrate, who struggled under a weak organization and with his own insecurities and only truly blossomed after he left Toronto.

 

Iafrate never believed that the team appreciated him, at least not as much as others. You sure get that feeling with Kadri.

 

If Kadri succeeds under this contract, it’ll be with vindication in his heart and massive financial demands, regardless of how the team does. If he doesn’t, this contract fight will resume in two years, and it’ll be nastier, this time with Kadri armed with arbitration rights.

 

The likeliest scenario? Sometime in the next 2-4 years, Kadri will moved elsewhere in the same way Boston moved Tyler Seguin this summer. The Leafs, in calculating fashion, will extract what they can from Kadri’s abilities, then move him for maximum value to another team.

 

It’s not written in stone that way. But a great deal would have to change for this to become a happier, long term relationship.

Sometimes players and teams just don’t fit.

 

Kadri and the Leafs are like a Christmas morning sweater two sizes too small.

 

Uncomfortable.

 

In the case of grabs, I think they had a point.

This contract works. Short term, let's see if he can bring it