Toronto Maple Leafs fans are a wonderful bunch. They dealt with losing for so long, but yet they seem to remain faithful to their cause. Someone could probably write a book about their struggles. Now better times have come. The Leafs have arguably one of the best top-six forward groups in the NHL, but some cap troubles and a contract dispute with Swedish winger/centre William Nylander has got Leaf fans sounding the sirens. Some wanted to trade Nylander for a defenceman, much like myself, but others have opted for different routes. Everybody’s favourite hockey analyst Darren Dreger said that an NHL executive said that maybe trading Nazem Kadri would lessen some of these problems.
Point isn’t that Kadri could/should/would be traded. Toronto has a number of high valued players that could fetch excellent return if cap relief required. https://t.co/9HASY5rh8l
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 26, 2018
Let’s just say this got a lot of people talking. Hockey fans debated the merits of this idea. Some shut it down completely while others took time to think about it. It’s worrisome to some fans that this idea was and is even considered. Nevertheless, there was a frenzy and with a frenzy comes a flurry of opinions. That being said, the only opinion that really matters is the one of Kyle Dubas and his staff.
So here’s the thing, as the ‘most electrifying man in sports entertainment’ once said, “It doesn’t matter what you think.” Honestly, it doesn’t. Nazem Kadri isn’t going anywhere, at least right now, and you can believe that.
Calm Down Toronto, Nazem Kadri Isn’t Going Anywhere
Now could he go in the future? Good Lord, who knows? The media has wanted Kadri out of town for the longest time. This fell back on Leaf fans and changed their opinion on a promising prospect. Did the Leafs ever get around to trading him? No, and one would think the Leafs are happy about that.
Mike Babcock uses Kadri as a crucial matchup player and puts him in for the game’s biggest faceoffs. Kadri has done a fine job at putting the puck in the back of the net over the past couple of seasons, netting himself back-to-back 30-goal campaigns. His early season goalless drought got laid to rest on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets. He has confidence rolling back to Toronto on Saturday night. Kadri is fitting in quite well with this crop of players. Why would Dubas mess with that when he has stated that he wants to ice a Stanley Cup winning team?
The Salary Cap Era Complicates Things
Anyone that watches hockey knows that the salary cap is a pain in the arse. They’ll know that for sure if they are a Leafs fan. With several of the team’s players either becoming UFA or RFAs, many hard choices are coming. Some choices will be harder to make than others.
It is almost a guarantee that Matthews is going to get anywhere above $10.5 million per year in his upcoming contract. Mitch Marner will press for $8 million or more, and Jake Gardiner will probably ask for his market value. One might say it could be north of $6 million per season to a team wanting to outbid the Leafs. Nylander will probably settle for either a bridge deal or a deal that maxes out at around $6.5 million per year.
Nazem Kadri, on the other hand, is signed through 2020-2021 with a team friendly cap hit of $4.5 million per season. Making it a tradable contract, but why trade it if you’re not going to get back its full value?
The Thing with Trading Kadri
Every team knows who Kadri is and how he’ll play. For a player of his calibre, Kadri is underpaid, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. This contract still has three more years on it after this season, which adds to his value.
This is the big issue, for what Toronto would want in a trade, they’re probably not going to get it with Kadri. Not because he’s bad, but because he’s a forward and right-handed defencemen don’t come cheap, especially if you’re looking for a top pairing one. Kadri is a two-way forward that the Leafs could not afford to lose.
I’m going to break the fourth wall for a second here. Personally, I rather trade Nylander than trade Kadri. Kadri brings so much to the team that is hard to replace. Nylander does as well, but the Leafs centre depth is slim after Kadri and I’m not too keen on putting Nylander at centre and, to be honest, I probably never will be. Nylander belongs beside Matthews on his line. It doesn’t make sense to put him on the third line. He has way too much skill to be there. Kadri fits that third line role perfectly. If the Leafs had someone in the system that could replicate that, I would be more open to the idea, but when you’re in a win-now mode, that move doesn’t make sense. I’m not going to lie, trading Nylander doesn’t either, but blame the salary cap for us even having this talk.
PSA To Leafs Nation
Do us a favour and get the bag off your head. Your team is doing great and trust that the front office isn’t going to do something stupid in the name of trying to bolster up a weaker defence.
Don’t buy into all the trade theories and rumours. Those are all fun and they make for good conversation at the bar before the game starts, but at the end of the day, they hinder your experience of a team that could possibly bring the city its first Cup since 1967.
So instead of thinking about the future, just focus on the now. Take the time to stop and smell the roses, because good things don’t last forever. Let’s face it, Leaf fans, you know already know that.
As this fan whos love of the Maple Leafs seems to be his or her religion says:
Gospel of the wisest man:
Sometimes it moves fast. Others it moves slow. You might not get their on time, but once you’re there, you’re there. So enjoy the ride. Life is a highway and there’s nothing I rather do than ride it all night long. #LeafsForever #GoLeafsGo #WeWantTheCup
— The Gospel According To Leafs Fans (@GospelOfLeafs) October 19, 2018
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