Toronto Maple Leafs: Five Storylines That Aren’t Disappearing

Apr 5, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri (43) passes the puck as Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur (16) defends at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Ottawa 3-2 in an overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

5. Nazem Kadri

By all accounts, this is the best chance Nazem Kadri will have to prove his worth to the Toronto Maple Leafs – and the NHL in general.

He’s already a very good number two center, but this year he may get a chance to prove just how good he is.

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Kadri is the Toronto Maple Leafs best possession player but he’s been forced to suffer through some pretty bad linemates and still be expected to exceed expectations.

With a projected increased role on the team – and the full endorsement of Mike Babcock – it’s Kadri’s time to shine. He’s got a lot riding on this season, too, because he has a chance to railroad the Toronto Maple Leafs front office for a huge payday.

If Kadri finds a way to rack up 60 points he’s going to force the Toronto Maple Leafs brain-trust to either open up the checkbook or find him a new team, depending on where they see Kadri fitting in the future plans.

Kadri is probably the most interesting for me because the talent is there – that’s easy to see – but the results in the individual statistics column haven’t shown up as planned.

Of all the five story-lines there isn’t one that will be wrapped up anytime soon. So hang on, Leafs fans, it’s going to be an interesting season (outside of all the anticipated losing).

Next: Leafs Scoring Chances (Defence)

5. Nazem Kadri

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