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Toronto Maple Leafs: Why They Shoudn’t Trade Kadri

By Tim Chiasson

Apr 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri (43) is escorted to the penalty box by linesman Scott Driscoll (68) after receiving a cross-checking penalty against the Detroit Red Wings at Air Canada Centre. The Red Wings beat the Maple Leafs 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri (43) is escorted to the penalty box by linesman Scott Driscoll (68) after receiving a cross-checking penalty against the Detroit Red Wings at Air Canada Centre. The Red Wings beat the Maple Leafs 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs recently signed Nazem Kadri to a six year extension, but that hasn’t stopped people from wondering if he still might get dealt.

Aside from the obvious reason why the Toronto Maple Leafs shouldn’t trade Nazem Kadri – he’s a talented second line center – his new contract makes him even more valuable.

The six year deal that Nazem Kadri signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs that carries an average annual value of $4.5M is a great bang-for-your-buck deal. He’s a legitimate second line center who has been plagued with lesser linemates for the majority of his time with the Leafs, yet he still produces.

Bump his shot percentage up to his career average (which was lowered because of his poor shooting season) and he’s nearly a 30 goal scorer, and a ~55 point player. His $4.5M tag doesn’t sound so bad then, does it?

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Let’s pretend for a minute – which might not be so pretend very soon – that Kadri lies 3rd on the depth chart behind Auston Matthews and William Nylander down the middle. Now the Toronto Maple Leafs have a second line center talent playing on the third line. Should the focus be on the depth monster that it creates, or how much they’re paying a player to be a third line center?

Well, that depends on what they do with the other players who will be coming up for renewal. The recent negotiation examples (Rielly and Kadri) say they are locking up good players before they break the bank. So, let’s assume that Dubas, Lamoriello, Shanahan and Hunter don’t all of a sudden lose their marbles.

Here’s a look at who each team in the NHL iced as their third line center – according to Left Wing Lock – in their last game played and what their cap hit was. The list includes Eric Staals cap hit to NYR only (has salary retained by CAR) and any new contract AAV that begin in 2016-2017.

toronto maple leafs
toronto maple leafs /

The average cap hit of the 30 players is $2.012M. That’s almost $2.5M cheaper than Nazem Kadri. That automatically means the Toronto Maple Leafs should find a cheaper option, right? Not necessarily. Consider that some of those teams are non-playoff teams that gave kids a chance, and others are cap-strapped teams trying to ice a full lineup.

The four teams that were in the Conference Finals had an average cap hit for a third line center, on their last game, of $3.453M. Yes, that includes Steven Stamkos in his return from injury, but Nick Bonino won’t be playing for $1.9M after 2016-2017, Chris Tierney won’t be playing for ~$710K on his next deal and if Stamkos was, say, number one center, then the Lightning would have had Filppula at $5M in there. That would bring the average down to $2.828, with two players due for a raise.

Personally, I’d rather have Nazem Kadri, over Filppula, Bonino, Berglund and Tierney, centering my third line. He’s just more talented.

The NHL salary cap is going to continue to go up and that only makes Nazem Kadri’s contract worth more. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a chance to be three players deep at center with a talent level that rivals the best three center core in the NHL very soon. That’s a valuable tool to have in the chest.

Like previous media target Phil Kessel, Nazem Kadri is overly criticized. He’s a very good hockey player, and he produces. Maybe it’s the lingering hype from Brian Burke, or the position he was drafted in, that raise expectations for Kadri to be some sort of point per game hero. The bottom line is he doesn’t have to be some hero.

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If Kadri continues to play hockey like he has been then the Toronto Maple Leafs have a very good hockey player on a team friendly cap hit. You don’t trade that in today’s NHL, ever. If the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to make smart financial moves as the cap continues to increase then they will have a talented, sustainable, core for many years – and Nazem Kadri will be a big part of that.

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