Apr 18, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri (43) carries the puck against the New York Islanders at the Air Canada Centre. New York defeated Toronto 5-3. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Not that there’s ever a good time to go on a scoring drought, but doing so when your team is on the verge of clinching their first playoff spot in eight seasons is the definition of bad timing.

Nazem Kadri recorded a hat-trick and added an assist on March 30^th against the Ottawa Senators and it seemed a dangerous scoring duo was being formed between the young forward and Joffrey Lupul. Shortly after, however, Lupul went down with a concussion and Kadri fell into somewhat of a tailspin. Since that game against the Sens, and perhaps receiving a “Kiss of Death” from Don Cherry afterwards, Kadri has failed to score and has only posted two helpers.

The Leafs have survived without his offense for the most part, picking up points in five of those games, but after losing two straight and watching the standings become slightly more congested, a big outing by Kadri is something Toronto definitely needs. Lupul has since returned from his injury and Kadri has proven to be an elite point producer for most of this year, so what are the chances he gets this sorted out?

Reasons to worry

What is arguably more impressive than his scoring explosion in 2013, has been Kadri’s improved two-way play. His plus-14 rating ranks second on the Leafs and that part of Kadri’s game has allowed Carlyle not to restrict his minutes in certain situations. During this recent slump though, Kadri has been a minus-6 and only once in the last eight contests has he finished a game with a plus rating.

Reasons to be Optimistic

It’s not like Kadri hasn’t been generating his fair share of scoring chances during this rough patch. He has recorded 12 shots over the eight games and if he continues on that pace it will only be a matter of time before he breaks through. Not to mention that Lupul looked a lot better in his second game back from injury on Thursday against the Islanders, so the two should hopefully be able to re-ignite their chemistry sooner rather than later.

With all that being said, the Leafs head into Ottawa tonight and that has been an opponent Kadri has excelled against. He has posted six points in the four games versus the Sens this season, including an aforementioned four point night the last time the teams met.

Kadri is just as responsible for the Leafs’ turnaround this year as the improved goaltending and penalty kill. Having an elite talent step up the way he did has made a huge difference and has given Toronto a much more balanced attack. One would think if they hope to clinch a spot and do any damage in the post-season, it’s going to be directly related to Kadri getting back on track.

In the final hour of Wednesday’s trade deadline, the Vancouver Canucks dropped the asking price for veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo and contacted the Toronto Maple Leafs three times within the hour, trying to complete a deal. But that wasn’t the case, Toronto declined all three offers.

According to Darren Dreger, the time frame for the three offers looked like this:

• Vancouver called  Toronto at 2:00 PM and made an offer, Toronto declined. 
• Vancouver called back at 2:30 PM made another offer, but Toronto declined.
•  Vancouver called again at 2:45 PM, and for the last and final time, Toronto declined. 

According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, Vancouver was asking for goaltender Ben Scrivens and a pair of second-round picks from Toronto in return for Luongo. However, I believe Dave Nonis felt he couldn’t part ways with Ben Scrivens, at least for now.

The last time the Leafs and Canucks were in talks, Vancouver wanted Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and second round pick, but of course it didn’t happen. So it’s pretty clear the Canucks dropped the price in hopes of making a last minute Luongo deal.

Toronto and Vancouver were close to a deal Wednesday, which explains why the Canucks pulled Luongo off the ice during the teams practice. They needed to be ready just in case the two sides agreed to a swap.

It was later reported that Dave Nonis would have dealt Ben Scrivens if Vancouver took some of Luongo’s cap. Since Vancouver wasn’t interested in doing so, the deal fell through.

It wasn’t just about Roberto Luongo Wednesday, as Toronto was also interested in Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames. Many believe the two sides had a tentative deal in place that would send Kiprusoff to the Maple Leafs, but the veteran goaltender had second thoughts about moving to Toronto and decided it was best if he stayed in Calgary. ( Some say the Leafs could have sent a second round pick and a roster player and or a prospect to Calgary for Kiprusoff.)

The Leafs thought if they acquired Kiprusoff, he would’ve been a good mentor for Reimer and Scrivens, which makes sense considering he’s an experienced goaltender and most importantly, he has playoff experience. But there was no deal and Kiprusoff will stay in Calgary and will likely retire at the end of the season.

So, at the end of the day, the Maple Leafs didn’t land either goaltender and will have to ride with Reimer and Scrivens for the rest of the season and during the playoffs. But many fans can say, they’re happy with the two goaltenders as they’ll gain post-season experience this year one way or another.

Be sure to follow me on twitter at @MapleLeafsDale