Waiting his turn

Halfway through the seven hour bus ride to Grand Rapids where the Toronto Marlies will begin a busy weekend of three games in three cities in two and a half days, Nazem Kadri takes a few minutes to talk about his current hot streak.

With 10 points in the last five games, Kadri, the American Hockey League's player of the month for November, is suddenly the talk of the league. So what has changed?

"Nothing, really, I think I'm just doing all the little things right," Kadri said. "It starts in your own end and if you play well defensively, then you're going to get chances on offence. It's working out so far for me."

Kadri, the Toronto Maple Leafs first pick (seventh overall) in 2009, is still trying to establish himself as a pro. A freewheeling offensive force as a junior, Kadri has played 33 NHL games over the past three years. He enjoyed a little success scoring-wise last year when he had three goals and 12 points in 29 games, but his overall game, particularly his discipline, have held him back.

"Just being able to recognize danger is the biggest change in my game," Kadri said. "Turnovers have been pretty bad news for me; especially in junior when I kind of did whatever I felt like doing. Since junior I'm trying to be more of a complete player and I'm limiting my turnovers. I'm starting to be less of a risky player and more of a reward player. It is tough to change. It has taken me some time to adjust, but I think each day I'm getting better. I just keep working hard and if I do that, things will pan out for me."

It was never a given that Kadri would make a permanent jump to the NHL this season, but a knee injury during training camp definitely hurt his chances of making the Leafs. He was assigned to the Marlies to start the year, but almost immediately recalled. In three games with the Leafs he had an assist and averaged 13 minutes of ice time. He said he is now fully recovered and his current hot streak backs that up.

A year ago if the Maple Leafs had run into injury problems, Kadri would have been at the top, or at least very close, of a list of potential recalls. This year, however, thanks to the handy work of Leafs GM Brian Burke who has added to his team's depth, he's not the obvious choice. So when the Leafs did have injuries, they turned to centre Joe Colborne and winger Joey Crabb and both have played very well in the NHL.

Kadri said he wasn't surprised at all that others got the call ahead of him.

"You just have to keep your head down and keep working hard," Kadri said. "You know, a lot worse things could happen to you. I'm in a pretty fortunate situation and I believe it will work out if I just keep working hard. I knew that from the get-go I wouldn't necessarily be called up if the Leafs had injuries so it really wasn't a surprise to me. Those are the guys who have earned those spots and they deserve to be in the NHL. They came down here and worked hard, just like I have, and they made some noise. They kind of forced the Leafs to call them up and that's the situation I'm trying to put myself in. I'm happy for those guys. They really deserved it. It's nice to see them succeed."

The other thing that comes with being a top draft pick who hasn't made it to the NHL as a regular at this stage is you are often the victim of trade rumors. So when it is reported the Anaheim Ducks are contemplating trading high-scoring winger Bobby Ryan, who was drafted by Burke, and Toronto is a possible trade suitor, Kadri's name is linked to the potential transaction. He said it comes with the territory.

"I've been asked about it a couple times, but I know as much as you do," he said. "It doesn't really bother me. I try to stay out of all the rumors. I'm just trying to play my game and take care of what I need to on the ice. The rest will take care of itself."

Regardless of what happens, Kadri believes the changes he has made to his game has him NHL-ready.

"Yeah, hands down I'm ready," he said. "I think I've been ready since the start of the year. I'm just waiting to get my shot."

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.