Nazem Kadri likes to talk. So much so, in fact, that hockey maven and commentator Don Cherry went on the radio recently and said of Kadri; "Just shut your mouth and play hockey."
Since Kadri likes to talk so much, it only seems fair that we talk about Kadri a bit.
TSN 1050's TSN Drive recently had Darren Dreger on as a guest, and when host Dave Naylor asked about Kadri, Dreger mused that the soon-to-be restricted free agent is difficult to quantify as an NHL commodity, but probably won't be in a Leafs uniform by the end of the season.
"I would still be surprised if Nazem Kadri makes it to the trade deadline as a Toronto Maple Leaf," Dreger said.
Sounds pretty definitive, eh?
Let's look a little deeper at the reason for Kadri's expected exit from Toronto.
The 24-year-old Kadri played in 78 games last season, the most in his career. Prior to that, his most games played were 48 in 2012-13.
Last season he also reach career-highs in goals (20), assists (30) and average time on ice (17:23).
"Although Kadri has seemed to add a more rough side to his game this season than years past, he still hasn't taken the next step in his offensive production," writes Jeff Langridge of Editor-in-Leaf. "He is still a streaky scorer and while he still can be a dependable point producer... that is not enough. For a player that talks the way he does, you'd think he would have taken the next step but alas, it hasn't happened."
Is Kadri an up-and-coming star, or a high upside player who will continually tantalize you with his physical gifts then let you down with the other, finer aspects of his game?
Frankly, four-plus seasons into his NHL career, it's difficult to tell. He's got all the potential in the world but has yet to stay healthy or play consistently enough to really show what he can do.
It's anybody's guess as to what kind of player he'll end up being. But he's young and has immense skill -- while it's not everything, it means a lot in today's NHL and could net the Leafs a pretty decent return.
