News Article: Could Kadri be traded?

[Critical13]

Unless we're getting a very good dman on a very good contract, I don't consider it.
Nazem bleeds blue. I love that about him.

Moving Kadri to LW with Tavares also solves a lot of these "problems".

Johnsson - Matthews - Marner
Kadri - Tavares - Brown
Marleau - Nylander - Kapanen
_____ - ______ - Hyman

This makes the Tavares line a great match-up line to go head to head against the other team's top line. Having two centers on that line is good in case Tavares gets kicked out of the circle. Kadri gets lots of ice time that he otherwise would not get behind Matthews and Tavares. Tavares and Kadri used to play together on the London Knights... so both might like that... and I know that Matthews and Marner are dying to play with each other too. Our 3rd line becomes a super fast scoring line. Nylander gets to play center where he belongs. The third line might not get a ton of ice time... but that will keep them fresh to use their explosive speed to burn the other team. This keeps our center depth very strong because it's easy to move Kadri into any of those center spots if there are injuries.

Hyman has some very good 5v5 stats. He belongs in our top 6.

 

[kindalaidback]

Moving Kadri to LW with Tavares also solves a lot of these "problems".

Johnsson - Matthews - Marner
Kadri - Tavares - Brown
Marleau - Nylander - Kapanen
_____ - ______ - Hyman

This makes the Tavares line a great match-up line to go head to head against the other team's top line. Having two centers on that line is good in case Tavares gets kicked out of the circle. Kadri gets lots of ice time that he otherwise would not get behind Matthews and Tavares. Tavares and Kadri used to play together on the London Knights... so both might like that... and I know that Matthews and Marner are dying to play with each other too. Our 3rd line becomes a super fast scoring line. Nylander gets to play center where he belongs. The third line might not get a ton of ice time... but that will keep them fresh to use their explosive speed to burn the other team. This keeps our center depth very strong because it's easy to move Kadri into any of those center spots if there are injuries.

yes, it's a fantastic idea to play a guy - who earns 6-7 million dollars the next 6-8 years- on the third line and then not giving him a good amount of ice time.

 

[Shanty]

This guy gets it:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Could Nazem Kadri be Traded?

In summary, a self professed 43 fan who defended him in the Carlyle days, offers these reasons to move him:

- weak on D, deep at C
- need to improve D
- Nylander could shift over to play 3C and replace him
- Leafs would still be significantly strong up the middle
- long term deal to Nylander better served as a C vs winger
- Brown wasted on 4th line and could shift up the roster with Kadri’s move
- Kadri “ok” at shut down but wouldn’t make sense to line match and shut down opponents #1 line when AM line and JT line will dominate.
- 43’s trade value never higher based on his age, contract and lack of 2C/high end 3C’s in the market.
- Would fetch big return

Good read. It’s a nice situation to be in.

Not going into detail on this again.

1 (and 4). We're not deep at C. This rhetoric has to end.

2. We don't need to improve anything. I'd love to pick up a strong RHD, but I don't know which one we're getting for Kadri+.

3 (and 5). Nylander hasn't scored 30 goals in a season yet, he has almost exclusively played with Matthews, but he can replace Kadri no problem?

6. Agreed, Brown's wasted on the 4th line. I'd like to see him play with Kadri.

7 (and 8). Sure. What's the return?

There are always reasons to move players. We could say the same thing about Rielly, Marner, Andersen... But only if it actually improves the team.

 

[Buds17]

Still strong at C, but nowhere near as deep without Kadri. Stronger at D, but not the equivalent of the depth at C with Kadri IMO (factoring in possible trade return).

Don't imagine we would have been interested in Tavares if the idea was Nylander as a full-time C (I did hope Nylander would become that, but I also wasn't sure of Tavares choosing to become a Leaf).

Yes, Brown or Kapanen is more than a 4th liner, and Kadri is more than a 3C, and Matthews or Tavares is more than a 2/1B C, and Marner or Nylander is more than a 2nd liner...it's great forward depth, and it's cap compliant. Content to see where it goes.

 

[RoadWarrior]

The short answer is NO.

The best teams in the league are always anchored at center and right now the leafs might be the best in the league. They'd much rather trade a winger than a center.

Kadri > Connor Brown or Kapanen

 

[Pookie]

after all your long years of telling us how bad Kadri is, on and off the ice, why do you think he has any worthwhile trade value?

Except that’s wrong. Consistently indicated Kadri has high trade value based on his skills and contract.

 

[Hockey Talker29]

This guy gets it:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Could Nazem Kadri be Traded?

In summary, a self professed 43 fan who defended him in the Carlyle days, offers these reasons to move him:

- weak on D, deep at C
- need to improve D
- Nylander could shift over to play 3C and replace him
- Leafs would still be significantly strong up the middle
- long term deal to Nylander better served as a C vs winger
- Brown wasted on 4th line and could shift up the roster with Kadri’s move
- Kadri “ok” at shut down but wouldn’t make sense to line match and shut down opponents #1 line when AM line and JT line will dominate.
- 43’s trade value never higher based on his age, contract and lack of 2C/high end 3C’s in the market.
- Would fetch big return

Good read. It’s a nice situation to be in.

Has there ever been a time since 2015 where you thought it wasn't a good idea to move Kadri?

 

[Mickey Marner]

Kadri's production relative to his AAV is outstanding. His per 60 minute scoring is actually slightly better than Tavares' over the past two seasons. Best to keep him for the duration of his contract and buy low on a RHD when one becomes available, rather than forcing the issue. We have a 7 year window, let's maximize all 7 rather than throw all our eggs into the 2018-19 basket.

 

[Pookie]

Has there ever been a time since 2015 where you thought it wasn't a good idea to move Kadri?

Yep. If they moved Bozak and didn’t have a replacement, they definitely needed to keep him.

I was pushing for Bozak to be moved 2 years ago.

Eg https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/player-discussion-nazem-kadri.2166467/page-26#post-128524235

 

[The CyNick]

I can't wait for us to win the Cup this year so people can stop with this nonsense of trading 30 goal scoring centres for Dmen who have minimal impact on the game.

Scoring is key. Remember that kids.

 

[LeafGrief]

A) We have no bottom 6 centres to fill in if we trade Kadri. We have outstanding depth at the top for our C's, but our middle and lower end depth is utterly atrocious.

B) I believe that Kadri is worth a top pairing defenseman. A 30 goal matchup capable centre on a long term sweetheart deal is an incredible asset. But we can't afford to trade him unless a perfect too good to miss trade opportunity comes along. See A) for reasoning for why we can't afford to trade him.

 

[Silver91]

- Brown wasted on 4th line and could shift up the roster with Kadri’s move

Brown will be traded before Kadri, that's an easy one.

As for moving Kadri, won't happen this year. He's got 4 more seasons at a sweetheart of a cap hit. The absolute earliest I could see Dubas listening on him is next summer, and more likely not until summer of 2020, when Kadri'll be heading into his age-30 season, but still have 2 seasons left on his contract.

Until then, you're not going to get an elite top 4 guy on a similar contract, so there's no point. Never mind that if we slide Nylander to the middle, it opens up a hole much larger than what Brown can fill.

When Kadri closes in on 30, then maybe you start to look at moving him, as wear and tear will start to be more of a factor for him. His value won't be what it is now, but it'll be something more in line with what we'd likely get for him now anyways, meaning the return should be about the same.

 

[Obliviate]

Kadri's skill, grit, and most important, his amazing contract are exactly the reason we need to keep him on a team vying for a Cup.

 

[biotk]

The Leafs have the best 3C combo in the NHL. What should they do with that gift? Trade it away.

 

[34]

Nah, Naz is not getting traded. Just sit back and watch up put up 30 + goal seasons over and over.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

I disagree wholeheartedly with the notion of trading Kadri. That’s all I have to say about that.

 

[IBeL34f]

This guy gets it:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Could Nazem Kadri be Traded?

In summary, a self professed 43 fan who defended him in the Carlyle days, offers these reasons to move him:

- weak on D, deep at C
- need to improve D
- Nylander could shift over to play 3C and replace him
- Leafs would still be significantly strong up the middle
- long term deal to Nylander better served as a C vs winger
- Brown wasted on 4th line and could shift up the roster with Kadri’s move
- Kadri “ok” at shut down but wouldn’t make sense to line match and shut down opponents #1 line when AM line and JT line will dominate.
- 43’s trade value never higher based on his age, contract and lack of 2C/high end 3C’s in the market.
- Would fetch big return

Good read. It’s a nice situation to be in.

What a refreshing and original thread idea, Pookie. You never cease to amaze.

- Organizationally, we are far, far deeper on D than we are down the middle. Trading any centers at this point would be short-sighted at best, catastrophic at worst.
- Our issues at D have more to do with systems and usage than personnel, and we do not require a Kadri-sized upgrade to our blueline.
- Nylander is going to be making more than Kadri as early as this year, and has neither Kadri's grit, nor his NHL experience at C, nor his shutdown abilities, at least at this stage.
- We'd still be strong at C (1/2/3, anyway), but weaker than we are now, with virtually no flexibility at the position.
- Long-term deal to Nylander (assuming ~$6M/year) likely makes more sense as a #1W than a #3C
- Has way more on-ice value to us than Brown, and in a position of much greater need. Moving Kadri to create room for Brown is arguably the stupidest reason presented of the bunch.
- Using Kadri as a shut-down guy at home allows JT and Matthews to spend their time tearing apart oppositions' depth; On the road, having Kadri driving our 3rd line allows him and his linemates to tear apart oppositions' depth.
- Kadri's on-ice value has likely never been higher, and the Leafs are in a position where on-ice value (of long-term assets) outweighs trade value. We are no longer rebuilding, and core players should be identified and kept. Kadri is a core player.
- "A big return" (read, Mystery Box) might never turn out to be a back-to-back-30-goal-scoring gritty shutdown C with 4 more years of contract well below market value.

I've yet to see a single good reason to trade this player.

 

[4thline]

I've yet to see a single good reason to trade this player.

But such a reason COULD exist, whether now or in the future, and he COULD be traded. It's very important that every one know that there is a non-zero possibility that Kadri not finish his contract with the Leafs. Very important.

 

[TMLeafs17]

I don’t see a point in moving him. He can’t move for a package as we have so many roster players, he can’t move for picks/prospects, if he does move we have a big hole even if we get a massive RHD back. There’s no one trade involving Kadri that would make us a better team imo.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Anyone else feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day?

Don't worry Pookie, one day you might even get your Andie MacDowell.

 

[IBeL34f]

But such a reason COULD exist, whether now or in the future, and he COULD be traded. It's very important that every one know that there is a non-zero possibility that Kadri not finish his contract with the Leafs. Very important.

Honestly, I'm surprised we haven't been looking more heavily into trading Matthews - His value, with one year left on his ELC, will never be higher, and we already have 2 quality centers locked up long-term in Tavares and Kadri.

 

[Joey Hoser]

We aren't deep at C.

We have Tavares, Matthews and Kadri, which is ridiculous, but after that, we have little depth.

Not when you consider that Marleau and Nylander can both slot over to the middle.

Leafs could lose Matthews and Tavares at the same time, and they'd still have Kadri, Marleau and Nylander playing up the middle. That's actually incredible.

 

[Coachcorner]

Not when you consider that Marleau and Nylander can both slot over to the middle.

Leafs could lose Matthews and Tavares at the same time, and they'd still have Kadri, Marleau and Nylander playing up the middle. That's actually incredible.

That's very true and makes us the most powerful and wonderful club in the world. With those players listed above y'all can even win that thang straight up. They that hard.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Anyone who says that the leafs are deep at center after kadri can have their opinion safely ignored

 

[Thread The Needle]

I feel like its 2013.