Toronto Maple Leafs Could Right Some Wrongs By Signing Nazem Kadri

The Toronto Maple Leafs could re-do their mistake of trading Nazem Kadri by signing him this offseason.

It’s the middle of August and former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri is still available. Why and how is that possible?

Despite causing so many headaches for fans and management, Kadri is probably the most loveable player of the past decade who has been traded. For those who think the trade wasn’t justified at the time, you’re wrong.

After two suspensions and being stuck as the third-line centre, Kadri was bound to get traded.

Three years later, the reason why all of us hate the Kadri trade was because the Leafs didn’t win it. They received Alex Kerfoot (who is good, but isn’t as good as Kadri) and Tyson Barrie, who was an offensive defenseman that didn’t help the Leafs defensive liabilities.

Also, the fact that Kadri just won a Stanley Cup by playing up to the standards that many Leafs fans thought he could, added salt to the wound.

But now that Kadri won his Stanley Cup, would he be open to returning to the team that drafted him? Not only was it the team that he started his career with and played a decade with, but it was the organization he grew up loving.

Is Kadri way too jaded and angry with the club to ever consider coming back?

He’s the only one who can answer that question, but if you’re Kadri, is there a better spot to play than Toronto? You may think the money is an issue but the Leafs are an Alex Kerfoot and Jake Muzzin trade away from affording him, which is something they could do easily.

Kadri Should Consider the Toronto Maple Leafs

It may have been an ugly ending with little playoff success, but his 561 games played in Toronto weren’t all bad.

Kadri had two 30-plus goal seasons and his style of hockey made him a fan-favorite. He played with intensity and had a two-way game that made him a valuable centre.

After scoring 28 goals and 87 points last year, the first-time UFA is looking to cash-in on a huge ticket, but maybe he can have his cake and eat it too? Maybe a return to Toronto would be the perfect thing for his career?

Kadri is a natural centre and is so is John Tavares, but Tavares’ legs are failing. His speed is lacking and a move to the wing seems like a natural transition.

Why not stack the second line with three former London Knights in John Tavares (wing), Nazem Kadri (centre) and Mitch Marner (wing) and make that the best second line in hockey?

Auston Matthews is good enough to carry a line and a trio of him, Michael Bunting and William Nylander will be just fine. However, Marner with Tavares and Kadri would give Toronto an unbelievable second-line and one with a unique skillset of goal-scoring, play-making and grit that not many lines in the league could match up to.

At 31-years-old, Kadri would be crazy to think someone is offering him $9M x 8 years, especially after he had a lightning in the bottle season. He’s always been known as a good goal-scorer, but he scored 26 more points in a season this year than he ever had, so expecting that to happen again, anywhere except Toronto would be surprising.

If Kadri wants the biggest contract, he could play in a city that isn’t a contender.

However, if he wants to come back home and finally win in the place where it all started, playing in Toronto would be a great idea for him.

If the Leafs haven’t reached out and are too stubborn to sign him, then every executive should be fired. Kadri and Toronto need to re-do all of their previous wrongs and bring him back to Toronto.