TORONTO — Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who have been on the wrong end of too many one-sided trades in their history, were rewarded for their patience in a stressful 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night.
Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri have been scrutinized all season long. They have been constantly linked to trade rumours but the restraint from GM Dave Nonis paid off in a big way as Gardiner and Kadri contributed goals and were crucial in the Toronto win.
“[Kadri] seems to have caught a little fire here,” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said after the game. “I thought we had as much energy as we’ve displayed all year early in the hockey game.”
This is a step in the right direction from a Leafs organization that has too frequently given up on their young players. Just ask Alex Steen, Freddy Modin, or Tuukka Rask. They have relied on Band-Aid fixes rather than developing young talent.
That is no longer the case in Toronto. It would have been easy for Nonis to give up on Kadri and Gardiner when things weren’t going well early in the season as they can be weak defensively and their erratic play can drive coaches crazy. However, it was crucial that Nonis stood pat. The Leafs could have pursued a deal for the highly-priced Ryan Kesler but holding onto Kadri and Gardiner was absolutely the right move for Toronto. That much was obvious Saturday night.
Kadri and Gardiner aren’t flawless, but the two have the potential to become core players in Toronto alongside Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, Morgan Rielly, and James van Riemsdyk. They are frequently out of position, especially in their own end, and tend be too soft on the puck, but the Leafs — particularly the upper management — are willing to live through those mistakes. That’s a drastic change from the Leafs in the past.
Those mistakes certainly showed up from the Leafs team against Philadelphia. Patience with young players comes with blown leads as was the case Saturday.
Toronto blew another third period lead — something that is becoming a recurring problem — and have now allowed third period goals in four of its five games after the Olympic break. They remain too shaky with their defensive zone coverage — especially with one-goal leads. It needs to be a theme heading into a challenging west-coast road trip, but thanks to Joffrey Lupul’s overtime-winning goal, the Leafs were able to come out with their second-straight victory. And it was Kadri on the ice who played a big part of the game’s final goal.
All in all — even with the almost-collapse — it was a good night to be Nonis. The Leafs got important contributions from several of his key personnel additions.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier was strong with 28 saves on 31 shots. Getting him for spare parts has to be one of the most effective moves off the off-season. Mason Raymond, at $1 million, one of the best value signings off the off-season, scored his 18th goal of the year and even fourth-liner Troy Bodie, who was acquired just before the start of the season, was named one of the three stars of the game.
“He’s very noticeable,” Carlyle said of Bodie. “He’s been strong on the forecheck. He’s been a hard working honest player.”
Nonis might not be the most popular GM in the city — especially after the disastrous signing of David Clarkson — but his patient approach will pay dividends for Toronto. He understands the value of young assets like Kadri and Gardiner. He had the same approach in Vancouver when many were calling the club to trade Kesler and Kevin Bieksa when they were unknown young players. Years later, the two were crucial in Vancouver’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Leafs remain a massive work in progress. They’re an ascending team with obvious flaws, but taking a patient approach with young players is ideal for this organization and they have the right man for the job.