Nazem Kadri ready to be a top center for Toronto Maple Leafs?
By Cory Buck
The Toronto Maple Leafs enter the 2014-15 season with a new approach and a mostly unchanged roster. How that translates to immediate success is yet to be seen, but if the team is going to return to the playoffs this season, they’ll need their younger players to ascend to new heights. That starts at forward where center Nazem Kadri hopes to fill a void in the Leafs lineup that desperately needs a proper talent.
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More than anything, the Leafs need a bona fide #1 center to play alongside Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk. They’ve had Tyler Bozak filling that role when healthy for a while now, but Bozak — while a solid two-way player — is not the prolific offensive force that the team needs. Kadri, on the other hand, possesses that skill.
“Yeah, I do feel like I can be that person,” Kadri said per David Shoalts at the Toronto Globe and Mail. “Each year I think I’m going to get better and better. My progression’s been pretty solid.”
Kadri showed great progress in the lockout-shortened 2013 season when he tallied 44 points in 48 games played as a third-line center. However, he hit a plateau last season when he tallied 50 points in 78 games played as he was sprinkled in the top lines more.
Because of that small step back, it’s no given that Kadri will take over top line duties, despite him being the most talented NHL-ready center on Toronto’s roster. Kessel has great chemistry with Tyler Bozak and that’s been a tiebreaker of sorts to date between Bozak and Kadri. However, if Kadri can play to the level of his talent, he’ll give the Leafs no choice but to bump him up to top line minutes.
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