Sportsnet: Kadri deserves Leafs’ top-line role

[Tyler Biggs*]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/kadri-deserves-leafs-top-line-role/

I think Bozak should stay the number 1 center. Great two way player and he works hard every game.

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[WilliamNylander]

Just posted this in another thread but it is relevant here too:

Last night Nazem Kadri was our best forward with a 69.7% CF at even strength (85% vs Duchene, 68% vs O'Rielly). Bozak was not bad at 48.57% CF (54% vs Duchene, 27% vs O'Rielly)

This year and last, Kadri and Lupul do much better, while our "first line" tends to get crushed at 5 on 5. I would personally keep kadri with lupul and winnik and try and shelter the top line a little bit while giving kadri the tougher matchups.

Also, if you take bozak away from kessel he's abysmal so i dont think its worth breaking that up

 

[egd27]

Bozak / Kadri debate?

hmm there's something new to discuss.

 

[ldnk]

There have been charts showing that point production goes up with Kadri. There have been stats showing Kadri is a better CORSI/FENWICK calibre player. There are stats that suggest that despite Carlyle's reluctance to have Kadri take defensive zone faceoffs, he still manages to play a higher percentage of defensive zone starts than Bozak.

To me the question isn't about whether Kadri is the "#1" center, but whether the Leafs are better by overloading the top line with JVR-Kadri-Kessel and leaving the 2nd line to be Lupul-Bozak-Winnik

That 2nd line would look far too much like a 3rd line IMO. For whatever reason Bozak works fine with Kessel and JVR. He's the 3rd wheel on the line but that's fine. His defensive play isn't actually all that good, it's just noticeably better than Kessel/JVR. He does a fair amount of good on the line though but he also doesn't elevate it away from being one of the worse defensive lines.

I would just leave things as is for now until we develop another top 6 winger (eg. next year with Nylander perhaps). And no, I don't view Leivo as a top 6 winger.

 

[WilliamNylander]

There have been charts showing that point production goes up with Kadri. There have been stats showing Kadri is a better CORSI/FENWICK calibre player. There are stats that suggest that despite Carlyle's reluctance to have Kadri take defensive zone faceoffs, he still manages to play a higher percentage of defensive zone starts than Bozak.

To me the question isn't about whether Kadri is the "#1" center, but whether the Leafs are better by overloading the top line with JVR-Kadri-Kessel and leaving the 2nd line to be Lupul-Bozak-Winnik

That 2nd line would look far too much like a 3rd line IMO. For whatever reason Bozak works fine with Kessel and JVR. He's the 3rd wheel on the line but that's fine. His defensive play isn't actually all that good, it's just noticeably better than Kessel/JVR. He does a fair amount of good on the line though but he also doesn't elevate it away from being one of the worse defensive lines.

I would just leave things as is for now until we develop another top 6 winger (eg. next year with Nylander perhaps). And no, I don't view Leivo as a top 6 winger.

Exactly. Kadri is much better than bozak at everything (even his faceoffs have improved this year but small sample size...). The gap between Kadri and Bozak is only going to get bigger too, but our second line has been so dominant that its not worth breaking up right now

 

[Hero]

Just posted this in another thread but it is relevant here too:

Last night Nazem Kadri was our best forward with a 69.7% CF at even strength (85% vs Duchene, 68% vs O'Rielly). Bozak was not bad at 48.57% CF (54% vs Duchene, 27% vs O'Rielly)

This year and last, Kadri and Lupul do much better, while our "first line" tends to get crushed at 5 on 5. I would personally keep kadri with lupul and winnik and try and shelter the top line a little bit while giving kadri the tougher matchups.

Also, if you take bozak away from kessel he's abysmal so i dont think its worth breaking that up

Which site do you use for your stats?

Also it seems like the team is better off with 2 scoring lines. Kadri/Lupul/Winnik have some chemistry and will probably have nights this year where they're our best line.

 

[KuleminFan41]

No, he can't win faceoffs to be playing up against the likes of Bergeron , Toews , Crosby etc At least Bozak can win a couple against them here and there , Kadri doesn't have a chance

 

[Peasy]

Does anyone ever stop to think that Bozak's corsi numbers could be poor because of someone like Kessel? His sample size away from Kessel is too small to judge because the majority of of it is when hes in the defensive zone to take a draw.

 

[613Leafer]

Presumably our "analytics" department would be WELL aware of the differences between Bozak and Kadri's possession numbers, and might not view Bozak as a good "two-way" centre as he's largely been labeled by fans/media.

Im not really sure where the label came from. He's had incredibly high goals against, poor possession numbers, been ineffective on the PK, etc for essentially his whole career. He was briefly doing well at faceoffs, but thats about it. My only guess is that since he doesnt have great offensive numbers, that labelling him as "good defensively" was a way to help Leafs Nation sleep well at night and help justify why he was given the 1st line C role on a silver platter.

Last season and into the small sample size of this season, he's been showing more offensive ability at least. We'll see what he can sustain over 82 games, because he still is yet to hit 50 points in an NHL season for a variety of reasons.

 

[Kubus]

Can't we just have two scoring lines? It's really nice seeing Kadri develop, but he is fine playing where he is, and it's not like Kessel and JVR really need help. Also Bozak has been playing really well so far.

 

[zeke]

Kadri has had more icetime than Bozak in each of the last two games.

both wins, of course.

Vs. NYR

Kadri: 18:08es, 1:38pp, 0:00sh, 19:46tot ---- 50.0fo%
Bozak: 14:48es, 2:43pp, 0:27sh, 17:58tot --- 66.7fo%

Vs. COL

Kadri: 16:30es, 3:45pp, 0:00sh, 20:15tot ----- 68.8fo%
Bozak: 13:46es, 5:21pp, 0:36sh, 19:43tot ---- 57.7fo%



The second line has been awesome, and our best ES line, and Randy has started to give them the bulk of the ES icetime as a result. The Kadri line already HAS been our 1st line at even strength the past two games. Not sure we need to change anything there.


The better question here might be on the PP - because Kadri certainly should be on the #1 PP unit. It's pretty incredible that he's been a top-30 scoring centre in his first two full nhl seasons...WITHOUT getting 1st unit PP time.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Does anyone ever stop to think that Bozak's corsi numbers could be poor because of someone like Kessel? His sample size away from Kessel is too small to judge because the majority of of it is when hes in the defensive zone to take a draw.

i would like to see Bozak playing on the 2nd line for like a month or something, and see how they'd be. not just 'oh look, his numbers are xyz"

 

[WilliamNylander]

Which site do you use for your stats?

Also it seems like the team is better off with 2 scoring lines. Kadri/Lupul/Winnik have some chemistry and will probably have nights this year where they're our best line.

i like to use hockeystats.ca for to look at general ES and all situation CF numbers after the games. stats.Hockeyanalysis.com is also nice, but has a lot more to look at, and a less pretty interface lol

 

[Neil Hamburger]

Having Naz as our 2nd line C gives us a more balanced attack.

Kessel and JVR don't need much help to produce offense, they can do that just fine with Bozak. Lupul needs a running mate like Naz to help create offense from the second unit.

 

[Durrr]

I've always argued that Kadri deserves a shot on the first line, but I think right now is about the least likley it would happen. Bozak is actually contributing to the first line offensively and Phil/JVR just got going too. We wont see a juggled line until someone starts to really struggle.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/kadri-deserves-leafs-top-line-role/

I think Bozak should stay the number 1 center. Great two way player and he works hard every game.

Article is by the anti Bozak former blogger Steve Burtch, he must be smarting with Bozak leading the Leafs early on in scoring with 6 points in 4 games early on. Perfect timing for him to post his article.

 

[zeke]

Bozak Last 2yrs: 62gms, 22gls, 55pts (82gms, 29gls, 73pts)


If this is the weakest link on the team, then maybe we're not such a bad team.

 

[StuckOutHere]

Bozak Last 2yrs: 62gms, 22gls, 55pts (82gms, 29gls, 73pts)


If this is the weakest link on the team, then maybe we're not such a bad team.

The question isn't whether or not the first line is working with Bozak. They are clearly getting their points. The question is whether it would work better with Kadri.

 

[Paris in Flames]

Leave Bozak alone.

Whether he's better than Kadri is a whole different debate (which I don't want to get into) but for whatever reason...Bozak and Kessel work. Let Kadri be on the second line and allow us to have to significant points of attack. As long as Kadri is getting good ice time then what's the issue?

 

[BraveCanadian]

The first line is already a nightmare defensively and it would only be worse with Kadri there.

 

[WilliamNylander]

The first line is already a nightmare defensively and it would only be worse with Kadri there.

Except kadri is much better than bozak defensively. Allows less shot attempts against per game and attempts more shots per game. Spends more time in the oppositions zone. Don't know where people come up with this stuff...

 

[ACC1224]

I didn't think Kadri was very good last night.

 

[Quares27]

Why bother when the first line and second line are both scoring?

 

[On-the-Fly]

The question isn't whether or not the first line is working with Bozak. They are clearly getting their points. The question is whether it would work better with Kadri.

Or, perhaps more importantly, how much worse off the second line might be with Bozak.

 

[rojac]

The question isn't whether or not the first line is working with Bozak. They are clearly getting their points. The question is whether it would work better with Kadri.

Shouldn't the question be whether the team is better with Bozak somewhere else and Kadri on the first line not just whether or not the first line is better?