Kadri: Should the Leafs trade him?

[hf101]

 

Nazem Kadri probably isn't looking at much of a pay increase as his contract comes to and end this summer.  He is currently making 3.1M with a cap hit of 2.9M.  He really hasn't deserved much of a pay increase.  Kadri's total point stats have dwindled in each of the last 3 years, and he was handed down today a 4 game suspension by the league for his head shot on Matt Fraser which is his second suspension in less than 18months.  And this suspension follows the 3 game team suspension for missing a team meeting and likely other related issues that are not benificial for the team environment,.

 

If the Leafs are unable to trade him this summer I can vision a lengthy stalemate between management and Kadri which could cause additional issues and drama next fall. 

 

Do Leaf fans want to see Kadri traded this summer, and if so who do you think you can get in return?

[JagerMeister]

Nope, the leafs need a leader and he is perfect for that role.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

You know, first off, I want to say that I always thought Nazem Kadri to be a very talented individual, probably top six line talent, but given his propensity for physical play (not a bad thing) and with just minimal overall offense to show for his body of work to this point, is probably an ideal 3rd line center on a team with consistent goal scorers and playmakers in their top 6.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, does anyone else get the ever-so-slight, yet distinct scent of @##H0!3 when this guy takes to the ice?

Let me explain, and I will go backwards...and keep in mind that there may be more events than I will list here.

4-game suspension for a high hit on Matt Fraser......the team suspends him for 'sleeping in'......jumping back to last season (and this is vivid to me because I was WATCHING the damned game), he runs Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom (might have been intentional...CERTAINLY reckless and idiotic), then when there is very little retribution for that (according to some sources in the media, some players leaked out that Mike Yeo wanted NO retaliation), that very same game, Kadri goes and hits Mikael Granlund in the head on a hit against the boards, which earns him a 5 and a misconduct.

That hit could have been argued was clean, but unfortunate, or one could say he just didn't care, saw Granlund a prime target and just went for it......bottom line though, wherever recklessness, I-dont-give-a-$%#@, or do what I wanna do shows up with regards to the Leafs, THIS guy seems to be in the middle of it.

There could be more instances...I didn't bother to look up more. And there very well could be some more issues within the team that hasn't made it out to the public ear....or maybe some that has, which again, I didn't bother to look for.

But thing is, it somehow isn't surprising to me that this guy keeps finding himself in these, umm, sticky situations.

Immaturity? Bad luck? Wrong place, wrong time, weird circumstances.....whatever you want to call it, it just seems to follow this guy around.

Or maybe, he really does reek a bit of that scent I alluded to when I opened this post.

Nazem Kadri DOES need to get traded. For the benefit of both himself, the league, and the Leafs.

Apparently, he doesn't have anything in him to contribute as far as leadership in righting that mess of a ship...he doesn't seem to have the maturity to deal with the fishbowl lifestyle that Toronto hockey players must live in...and he doesn't have it in him to play the game in such a way, that people can look at him and think "integrity"...whether he actually has any or not, becoming irrelevant as perception becomes the reality.

To be fair, perhaps the Leafs as an organization didn't go about things the right way in teaching this guy either.

So many vets on that team...no one could get through to this guy? Is the Toronto workplace that much of a canine pit that everyone there is looking out for only themselves in that dog eat dog enivrionment?

Who knows.

But what we do know is, Kadri is not the cure for what ails the Leafs as they try to rebuild, and the Leafs certainly aren't helping themselves by keeping a guy who is slowly but surely, becoming a liable (albeit talented) asset.

And by further extension, the league isn't doing itself any favors by having one of their most noticeable franchises be the butt of jokes year after year.

If the Leafs can get a 3rd or 4th round and a mid level prospect for him, I say they should go for it. Cut their losses. Or maybe that is asking too much, depending on who you ask.

As for Kadri, he would probably be better served moving away a bit from the hot spotlight that is Toronto (or any other hockey market that is close to that) and focus on trying to be the player the Leafs originally thought he could be when they selected him in the 1st round.

Even if he never becomes a perennial top six player, as long as his mind is set right, he plays the game the right way, has teammates and vets willing to help him, and more importantly, if he is willing to listen, he could turn out out alright in this league. He is only 24 still after all.

If he continues on the track he is on however, I think that slight scent I get from him may turn into a full blown odoriferous disaster.

[WordsOfWisdom]

I don't think they need to trade him, but I see him as part of this Leafs core that doesn't have what it takes to win.

 

• Offensively, he's nothing special.
• Defensively, he's a liability.
• Behind the scenes, he seems to be a sh_t disturber on the team now as well.

 

So to summarize, Kadri is exactly the kind of guy the Leafs need on their roster right now to collect high first round draft picks in the upcoming years. 

[fishbulb]

I see Kadri as a product of his environment.... the leafs have been disfunctional for his entire career there.  He was jerked around by Wilson and co. right off the bat.  While he definitely came with a sense of entitlement, most "strong" organizations could've worked that out of him by making their expectations clear.  Grow up or you're going to be riding the bus in the AHL... unfortunately they brought him up, sent him down, brought him up, sent him down....   He probably would've benefited much more from being left in the minors for a more consistent time.  Also, Wilson, being the dick he was, made things really confrontational/personal with Kadri right off the bat.

[Commander Clueless]

I don't think they need to trade him, but I see him as part of this Leafs core that doesn't have what it takes to win.

 

• Offensively, he's nothing special.
• Defensively, he's a liability.
• Behind the scenes, he seems to be a sh_t disturber on the team now as well.

 

So to summarize, Kadri is exactly the kind of guy the Leafs need on their roster right now to collect high first round draft picks in the upcoming years. 

 

I think point 1 might be true, but he is still pretty good offensively. He's creative and tends to play hard. Probably a good #2 centre level of offense.

 

Point 2 I don't think is true any longer. He's made some good strides.

 

Point 3, well, I think we can safely say there are some definite off ice issues.

 

 

I don't think they should trade him because I think he's still got potential. The biggest reason is because I don't think they will get enough for him to justify moving him.

[Holymakinaw]

Kadri is only 24 years old.  No need to trade away our younger, cheaper, more talented guys.  Let's trade the older, more expensive ones instead.  Kadri DOES need to smarten the hell up, but he deserves one more chance, IMO.  If he can keep himself out of trouble and get back to 20 goals/50 points a season, he'd make a very good 2nd line Centre for us.

[jammer2]

  I tell ya, if I was the Leafs new GM, I would ship Kadri out of town so quick his head would spin like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. This guy has been trouble with a CAPITAL *T* from the moment he arrived in Toronto. This guy really thinks his **** don't stink. He's aloof, an ego maniac who puts his own selfish needs far ahead of the team concept. He's lazy, unmotivated.....in short, a horrible excuse for a professional athlete.

 

  He's a lot like JVR in the respect that when the Leafs really, really need a spark....he is nowhere to be found. At the end of the year, the numbers look ok for a young kid on the wing, but again like JVR....a lot of garbage goals when the game is out of reach as a loss or a win. If Kadri was a soldier fighting a war, I would not want him in my fox hole....he would desert, run away from the fight with his tail between his legs. Again, a lot like JVR, a soul-less mess of a player.

 

 Thing is, the guy is super talented....if he ever got his act together, he could be a respectable force in this league. He's just not mature enough to ever reap the full rewards of his immense talent.

 

 The big problem is the Leafs could and should have Nylander and Stome in the fold, so the need for goal scoring wingers for the highly touted dynamic duo up the middle is highlighted now more than ever. It's basically JVR and Kadri as far as wingers go....it's not like you can count on Lupul....he will be hurt by the time November rolls around....#manofglass

 

 I would try to move both Kadri and JVR....get some players with heart and want to be part of something special. Thing is, given how very thin the Leafs are on winger scoring....the return for JVR or Kadri would have to be a winger, that is the only way it can work....or perhaps a high draft pick....but that would not help the lack of scoring in 2015. I'm also thinking Peter Holland is gonna have another career year, surpassing last years respectable numbers from a bottom six member.

[Holymakinaw]

@jammer2

 

I disagree.  Kadri is one of the few Leafs that's shown a pulse out on the ice.  And he and JVR are the two I would want to keep, going forward.  Kessel and Phaneuf and Lupul need to go, not Kadri and JVR.

 

Say what you will about JVR, but big, strong 30 goal guys who make 4.2 million for the next 3 years need to be kept.  And Kadri would just do GREAT elsewhere if we let him go.  

 

I'd rather have Strome and JVR on the top line, and try to add a Lucic/Hartnell type of guy to bring the pain..................and Nylander, Kadri and whomever, following up.  There's a ton of talent there.

 

I know it's "rebuild time", but we really can't trade them ALL.  

[jammer2]

@Holymakinaw  I'll admit that JVR comes with a respectable cap hit....that's literally the only thing that is good about him...lol. Some still think of JVR as a kid...but he's about to enter his 7th full NHL season. His goal totals from the start...

 

 1)15

 2)21

 3)11 (strike shortened)

 4)18

 5)30

 6)27

 

 He has actually regressed twice....back into the teens after posting 20 and back into the 20's last year after breaking 30 2 years ago.... the one and only time he has reached that plateau. He turns 27 this upcoming season and there is a 50/50 chance he never cracks 30 again. The brutal stretch of Mid December and all of January with only one goal.....while his team was spiraling out of control...he's one of the vets, he's supposed to be one of the guys to take the bull by the horn and make something happen....instead he went into the worst shell of his career....shocking...really.

[yave1964]

Kadri, no I wouldn't trade him, but I would look for a top line center, bump Bozak to a number two role, Kadri to a number three and allow young Nylander a chance to either break in centering the fourth line or play the wing on the third. This team has had two true number one centers since Sittler retired Sundin and parts of Gilmour, that is really about it.

 

 So contact Carolina about Staal and make them an offer they cannot refuse. Maybe JVR and one of the goalies could make it happen.But my God, other than the Wild no team needs a number one center as badly as the Leafs.

[yave1964]

All that being said, if the asking price for a true number one center is Kadri plus one of the two goalies, I say yes. They do not need to trade Kadri but if the trade makes sense they should at least explore it. I would soooooo not consider him untouchable but dealing him to just get him off the roster would be wrong.

[jammer2]

@yave1964  Why trade for a center when you have a star in Nylander and they are about to pick Strome if all goes according to hoyle. That is why I keep talking about Kadri as a winger, he will get moved to the wing full time I believe. It's not like he was killing it at center....and he did get moved to the wing a few times last year....he's not very good at faceoffs, and he does not play the position properly

 

 Edit....the Leafs already have the perfect #3 center....that can actually check and score...Peter Holland. The more Holland plays the more he will score, he's a natural point producer that is only being held back by his scheme....and the Leafs allowed him to be creative last year and he had a lot of nice goals because of that.

[yave1964]

@yave1964  Why trade for a center when you have a star in Nylander and they are about to pick Strome if all goes according to hoyle. That is why I keep talking about Kadri as a winger, he will get moved to the wing full time I believe. It's not like he was killing it at center....and he did get moved to the wing a few times last year....he's not very good at faceoffs, and he does not play the position properly

 

 Edit....the Leafs already have the perfect #3 center....that can actually check and score...Peter Holland. The more Holland plays the more he will score, he's a natural point producer that is only being held back by his scheme....and the Leafs allowed him to be creative last year and he had a lot of nice goals because of that.

Nylander is very high on my list for the leagues top prospects but no way no how do I play him top six minutes at center as a rookie. Look at Calgary with Monahan they took their time as a rookie fourth liner and moved him up this year to the top line. Horvat was a fourth liner much of the year for the Canucks and will be a star next year.

 

I would play Nylander third line wing or fourth line center to start, break him in gradually. Look at the teams like the Oilers who rushed Gagner and basically ruined him. Strome same thing.

 

 I like Holland, I really do, but he is a solid number four, slightly out of position as a number three. That, in a nutshell is the Leafs biggest problem all of their centers are playing one slot ahead of themselves. Bozak is a number two, Kadri is a number three and Holland is a number four. They are all playing one step above their real abilities.

 So next year I would put Nylander on a lower line, Strome the same the following year. Take your time, go slow, two years, three tops the team is set at center.

 

Now lets say they trade for Staal, he could fill the desperately needed number one center. Two, three years from now when Nylander and Strome are established Staal can move to the wing or age gracefully on the third line.

[JagerMeister]

Why should the Leafs trade their next Sundin and their next franchise player?

 

He is a leader!!! and that is exactly what the leafs have been lacking all along!!!

[yave1964]

Why should the Leafs trade their next Sundin and their next franchise player?

 

He is a leader!!! and that is exactly what the leafs have been lacking all along!!!

You missed this

[JagerMeister]

You missed this

 

you didn’t have too wait long for Kadri to speak as though he and Tavares were near-equals.

“Talent-wise, there’s not too much difference, to be honest,” Kadri said.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2014/10/20/leafs_nazem_kadri_sizes_up_john_tavares_challenge_feschuk.html

 

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2015/02/25/nazem-kadri-considers-future-as-leader-of-rebuilding-leafs.html

 

Look at this man!!! exuding confidence, thats just what the maple leafs need!!!

And he has the talent to back it all off, he is Tavaer level talented and we all know Tavares>Sundin 

So that means Kadri will pass Sundin soon enough and will become the maple leaf that everyone will remember in decades to come!!!

[WordsOfWisdom]

Kadri, no I wouldn't trade him, but I would look for a top line center, bump Bozak to a number two role, Kadri to a number three and allow young Nylander a chance to either break in centering the fourth line or play the wing on the third. This team has had two true number one centers since Sittler retired Sundin and parts of Gilmour, that is really about it.

 

 So contact Carolina about Staal and make them an offer they cannot refuse. Maybe JVR and one of the goalies could make it happen.But my God, other than the Wild no team needs a number one center as badly as the Leafs.

 

How long before Malkin winds up on the Leafs and Kessel winds up on the Penguins playing with Crosby?  (Penguins have no choice but to alter their mix.)

 

Actually, I think Kessel is going to Nashville. The GM was kissing Kessel's ass all season long while he was in his slump. Worst kept secret in hockey. Take Phaneuf too. And yes, lest I forget, Shea Weber had better be one of the names coming back to Toronto! 

[Holymakinaw]

And yes, lest I forget, Shea Weber had better be one of the names coming back to Toronto! 

 

LOL.  Kessel may very well go to Nashville........but I wouldn't be holding my breath, waiting for Shea Weber to come to Toronto.

[JR Ewing]

Well, if they want Weber, they'd better get him before July 1, or there's no way Nashville makes the deal... Not in a million years. With his contract, he will be a pickup only made in the offseason until at least 2019.

[J0e Th0rnton]

I don't think they need to trade him, but I see him as part of this Leafs core that doesn't have what it takes to win.

 

• Offensively, he's nothing special.
• Defensively, he's a liability.
• Behind the scenes, he seems to be a sh_t disturber on the team now as well.

 

So to summarize, Kadri is exactly the kind of guy the Leafs need on their roster right now to collect high first round draft picks in the upcoming years. 

Kadri seemed to be one of the better possession and defensive players on the team this year by my eyes.

[J0e Th0rnton]

LOL.  Kessel may very well go to Nashville........but I wouldn't be holding my breath, waiting for Shea Weber to come to Toronto.

None of Nashville's defense will be moving. Poile for years has believed in building from defense, to goaltending, to forwards.

[WordsOfWisdom]

None of Nashville's defense will be moving. Poile for years has believed in building from defense, to goaltending, to forwards.

 

Not even if they got Phaneuf to help soften the blow?  That would reunite Phaneuf and Franson. Also, no cap issues if Weber goes the other way.

 

Kessel + Phaneuf for Weber? That seems like more than fair to me. You go from an "A" to a "B" defenceman, but you get a good sniper. Kessel should be good for 30+ goals in Nashville, and Phaneuf's numbers will improve on a much stronger defensive team like Nashville where he doesn't have to carry the load.

 

This is the old adage of: "you have to give up something to get something". The Leafs aren't moving Kessel for nothing. Then again, it's MLSE, who knows what they'll do...  

[Holymakinaw]

If the Leafs move Kessel and Phaneuf, it'll be for salary dumps, prospects and picks..........not superstars.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Not even if they got Phaneuf to help soften the blow?  That would reunite Phaneuf and Franson. Also, no cap issues if Weber goes the other way.

 

Kessel + Phaneuf for Weber? That seems like more than fair to me. You go from an "A" to a "B" defenceman, but you get a good sniper. Kessel should be good for 30+ goals in Nashville, and Phaneuf's numbers will improve on a much stronger defensive team like Nashville where he doesn't have to carry the load.

 

This is the old adage of: "you have to give up something to get something". The Leafs aren't moving Kessel for nothing. Then again, it's MLSE, who knows what they'll do...  

It is ridiculous to think they will trade a franchise Defenseman. NOBODY trades franchise defensemen.

if you want Weber, you would have to overpay. Try Kessel + Morgan Reilly + a pick

 

I suspect if the Sharks wanted Weber, they would have to trade Couture + Vlasic + 1st + Hertl, and I would say NO WAY. The higher likelyhood would be trying to trade Couture for Seth Jones straight up.

 

Rookie Filip Forsberg just lead the team in scoring. Ribiero wants to resign, as does Fisher. Former 1st round pick Colin Wilson is putting it all together and 24 year old Craig Smith is playing above expectations.

 

I'd just sit and expect to keep Kessel on the leafs.

 

Edit: and after Franson's play in Nashville, I would be shocked if they resigned him. He was visible for all the wrong reasons and they had to move Seth Jones to his off side to play him. Laviolette started chopping his icetime badly