The Leafs are bound to be much more competitive this season and Nazem Kadri should be a part of it.
Just a guess -- pure speculation -- but I think the Maple Leafs will keep Nazem Kadri this season.
For starters, he's a very talented young man who is close, if not ready, for the NHL. That makes the decision very easy for Leafs GM Brian Burke, especially given Kadri's excellent performance during last year's pre-season schedule. When you add that to the fact he scored 35 goals and 93 points in 56 regular season games with the London Knights last season in the Ontario Hockey League and then added nine goals and 27 points in 12 playoff games, the numbers just seem to add up: Good NHL pre-season plus productive junior year equals a very deserved shot at making the NHL as a 20-year-old.
The Leafs were smart in not keeping Kadri up last year, despite his impressive September showing. By all accounts, he wasn't mature enough to handle the spotlight. It was no doubt very tempting to start him in Toronto with the notion of sending him back before he hit the 10-game point that would cost the team a year of eligibility and having Kadri reach unrestricted free agency one year sooner, but the Leafs did the right thing. Hey, at least the kid went back to London knowing he could make an impact at the pro level.
Beyond all this, Burke still has to deal with the fact he traded away two first round draft picks to acquire sniper Phil Kessel. No matter how many times he says he'd do the deal again, it still has to bother him the Boston Bruins used their first of two first-round picks to select Tyler Seguin second overall last June.
What if Kadri plays for the Leafs this season and outscores Seguin? You think that might take a little pressure off of Burke? Imagine the local media keeping track of the Kadri vs. Seguin scoring race if the Maple Leaf rookie is in the lead. Not that Leaf fans are desperate for something positive to cling to (he writes tongue planted in cheek) but it would certainly appease a lot of those who otherwise cannot fathom the Kessel trade.
Therefore, the Leafs have nothing to lose and everything to gain by keeping Kadri. It justifies their decision to draft him seventh overall in 2009 and it just may help ease the pain of having to possibly give up two lottery picks to get Kessel.
Beyond that, it would be wise to set him up to succeed and not do what the Tampa Bay Lightning did two years ago in limiting Steven Stamkos's ice time. Give the kid a chance to show what he can do. Naturally-gifted players find a way to adjust quickly to a new environment.
Oh, and lest we forget, if Kessel lights it up 40 times or more, which he is certainly capable of, the double-barrel shot of Kessel and Kadri more than justifies Burke's redesign of the NHL's most desperate team.
On that subject, it's just another guess -- more speculation – but Toronto’s first rounder next year will not be a lottery pick. Not to suggest the Leafs are a lock for the playoffs, but Burke's Boys are bound to be a lot more competitive this year than they were a year ago.
The addition of Colby Armstrong and Kris Versteeg, not to mention an under-appreciated Mike Brown, might not have dominated headlines nationally this summer, but their arrival in Toronto brings some young men who are willing to pay a price to win.
The two most obvious concerns are goaltending and a potential lack of scoring. Although the Leafs have pegged veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere as their starter, as you would with a declining veteran with a history of injury problems that has a monster contract, it is more likely that Jonas Gustavsson will emerge as the No. 1 stopper and ultimately justify Burke's decision to out-bid other teams to sign him. The pressure is on The Monster. Leaf fans will hope he lives up to the nickname.
Based purely on Burke's track record, and maybe his Irish luck, the Leafs could be a playoff team this season. If not, then darn close.
