Toronto Maple Leafs: Can Nic Petan Replace Nazem Kadri? Nope!
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t make any big moves at the trade deadline.
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs probably did acquire the best player available, they did so a month before the deadline.
When the actually trade deadline came, the Leafs only made one small move.
That move was to trade Par Lindholm to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Nic Petan.
Nic Petan, Third Line Centre?
Petan is 24 years old, highly skilled and looking for a chance. His history as a point-per-game AHL player says that he has a very high chance of being a successful NHL player if given an opportunity.
One opportunity that might come for him is to replace Nazem Kadri.
Kadri makes $4.5 million and Petan makes less than one-million. The savings here would be significant, and Kadri would bring back an excellent asset.
As it stands, Mike Babcock is in a bit of a difficult position in having to find enough minutes for Kadri on the third line. (Let alone how stupid it is to play your three top centres on one power-play unit).
It’s a definite advantage to have three centres of this quality, however the drop off from Kadri to Petan would likely be justified by a) making the team easier to manage and b) giving more ice time to the 2 x top-five centres the Leafs have at the top of their lineup.
And would Kadri to Petan even be that big of a drop? Kadri is 28 years old and while it’s not like he’s bottoming out, he has declined slightly from his peak, and will continue to do so.
There’s also the fact that he single-handedly cost the Leafs two straight playoff loses to the Bruins. (I have some thoughts about being mad at a guy for playing the way you trained him to play, but the fact remains the Leafs win both series if he keeps his cool).
Could the money saved and extra ice-time for Matthews and Tavares make using Petan at 3C a viable option? (You definitely do not want Nylander here because he and Matthews are pretty much the NHL’s best combo).
Nic Petan appears to have an absolute ton of talent and potential. I think he deserves a chance, and if it works out, the Leafs will be better for it. The stats are incomplete and hardly worth going into because he’s never had a constant role in the NHL.
In 113 games he has 24 points. But most of that is in fourth line role. If you give him two half-way decent wingers, I think that, based on his talent, he should be able to handle the role of 3C.
It’s a risk, but there’s hardly any downside to trying it. If, after a month or two it isn’t working out, the Leafs can always give someone else a shot, give the job to Nylander, or make a trade.
Next. A Look at Leafs 1st Rounders Through the Years. dark
Given Petan’s talent level, I think it’s a risk worth taking. Nazem Kadri has a nice contract and is at an age where he is still desirable. Smart asset management 101 says to trade him.
Either way, it’s going to be an interesting summer for the Toronto Maple Leafs.