Toronto Maple Leafs: Nazem Kadri Out Tonight vs Capitals

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without the third-line centre tonight as they get set to clash with the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Following a relatively thunderous hit, Nazem Kadri left Tuesday night’s game versus the St. Louis Blue near the end of the second period and was soon ruled out entirely thereafter.

The reasoning behind Kadri’s departure was that he had suffered a concussion.

Concussions are, obviously, something which teams now handle with extreme caution, given the long-lasting effects they are known to leave if not treated properly. This is even more prevalent when impacting a team’s most important players; as is the case currently with Kadri.

Ensuring Kadri’s long-term health heading into both the postseason and beyond should be of the utmost importance to the Leafs medical staff right now, and they appear to be viewing it that way considering how Kadri has officially been ruled out of tonight’s bout with the Washington Capitals.

When asked about Kadri’s stats following the Leafs’ morning skate, Mike Babcock did not offer an update.

Losing Kadri is obviously a significant blow to the Leafs at the moment, considering both his role as both an effective centre and the phenomenal chemistry he’s managed to develop as of late playing alongside a reinvigorated William Nylander.

Even amidst what most consider as an “off year” for the 28-year-old, Kadri has still put forth a respectable 35 points in 59 games – including 15 goals – not to mention a sparkling 53.9% CF/60 at even strength while largely matching up against opposing team’s checking lines.

He’s a valued piece of this lineup, and his absence will not go unfelt.

Stepping into his place, now, is Nylander.

Nylander’s experience playing down the middle is pretty limited at the NHL level, given how well he and Auston Matthews have proved to perform as a pairing, which essentially led the two to be glued to each other for the entire big league careers.

Still, Nylander will get a chance to show his worth tonight when placed outside of his normal comfort zone. The 22-year-old has arguably been the Leafs’ best player over the past 12 games, putting up 9 points over that span along with a host of dazzling underlying numbers and a noted uptick in aggressiveness.

There’s a reason as to why Babcock opted to shift Nylander over to centre rather than some other capable pivots like Patrick Marleau or Par Lindholm. He’s earned it.

And now lining up in between Andreas Johnsson and Connor Brown, he’ll have a decent support system at his disposal to prove his coach right.

Depending on how well Nylander performs in his new role, the absence of Kadri may not be as debilitating as it once seemed to be.

Thanks for reading!

All stats courtesy of hockey-reference.com