Former Toronto Maple Leafs first-round draft pick Nazem Kadri remains the hottest name on the free agent market, with rumours suggesting he’s returning to the East. Nazem Kadri as Leafs fans will recall, was traded for a season of Tyson Barrie and Alex Kerfoot, who himself may no longer play for the Toronto Maple Leafs by the time this summer is done.
The trade ultimately paid off for Nazem Kadri, as he lifted the Stanley Cup this season with the Colorado Avalanche, finally shaking off the tag of not being able to control his temper in the playoffs. Indeed, he did so in at times rather troubling circumstances, with rival fans sending death threats and racist taunts via social media after his run-in with Blues’ goalie Jordan Binnington.
Which Teams Are Pursuing Nazem Kadri?
Much as Toronto Maple Leafs fans might see Nazem Kadri as a perfect piece to acquire, the salary cap would prevent any such move. He projects to get a seven-year deal upward of $8 million per season; a number that the Leafs wouldn’t be able to fit without a complete shuffling of the deck.
There are strong indications that the Colorado Avalanche and Nazem Kadri would like to renew their relationship too, but much like the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have their own salary cap dilemmas to handle, with Nathan MacKinnon soon to get a considerable raise.
To continue to build on a relationship that has just seen him post his best ever regular season by a considerable margin and ended in Stanley Cup victory obviously makes plenty of sense. However, there has been more than one writer that has mooted the possibility of his return to the Eastern Conference.
One of the teams being floated as an ideal landing spot, much to the chagrin of both the Toronto Maple Leafs fan base and indeed the teams’ itself, is the Boston Bruins. With Patrice Bergeron yet to ink a new deal, the Bruins are rather lacking at center and certainly know first-hand the type of player that Nazem Kadri could be for them. Imagining Kadri and Brad Marchand on the same team certainly doesn’t sound like a fun match-up for an opposition team.
The other location that is being highly touted as a strong possibility are the New York Islanders; a team that has lacked a top-tier center since the Toronto Maple Leafs signed John Tavares. Perhaps there’s a certain symmetry to the idea that Nazem Kadri, who ultimately was forced out after dropping down the line-up due to Tavares’ arrival, could end up heading to his old haunts. Indeed should Kadri return to the East, Toronto Maple Leafs fans will no doubt welcome him while also not exactly looking forward to their team having to face him.