The Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline confirmed earlier this week that Toronto is no longer on the list of teams that star forward Rick Nash would prefer to be traded to.
The 28 year old winger is willing to accept a deal to six teams; Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose and the New York Rangers, but not to the team that he “grew up worshipping” in Brampton, Ontario.
It is uncertain whether the deletion from the list is due to Columbus GM Scott Howson’s demands in the deal being outside of Leafs boss Brian Burke’s price range, whether Toronto’s status as a non-playoff team was a detriment or the fact that Nash is not a first line center which the Blue and White desperately need.
The end result is that the Leafs have again struck out when it comes to adding an impact player to a team that sorely needs one.
It may be a cynical point of view, but it is becoming painfully obvious that the mention of the Leafs being involved in trade rumors or signing free agents is not simply the reflection of interest from one side or the other, it is a means to an end. The mere inclusion of the Leafs in a possible deal raises the excitement of their success-starved fan base, shows that management is making an effort to upgrade the team, while at the same time raising awareness in the media of a player’s availability to the rest of the hockey world.
It has been 14 years since Ken Dryden’s fortuitous trip to the supermarket led to the game-changing signing of Curtis Joseph and a dozen years since veteran Gary Roberts left Carolina to provide a level of leadership and toughness not seen in Toronto since the days of Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour. Other than paying through the nose to obtain Phil Kessel three years ago, the Leafs have been truly ineffective in bringing a difference maker into the fold.
Unless things change dramatically and Burke is able to pull off a deal for a Getzlaf or Luongo, 2012-13 will likely be another year of ups and downs, success and failure and no games past the first week of April.
*******
According to Sportsnet’s Mike Brophy, forward Nazem Kadri is leaving nothing to chance in his bid to make the Leafs next season and play up the middle with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul on the club’s first line.
(http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/07/12/nazem_kadri_toronto_maple_leafs_nhl_james_vanriemdsdyk/)
The 21-year-old natural centre, who was switched to left wing last season during a 21-game stint with the Maple Leafs, has made huge strides toward becoming more than just a one-way threat over the past two seasons under the watchful eye of Dallas Eakins, coach of the AHL Toronto Marlies.
Now Kadri is taking things to the next level this summer training under fitness guru Gary Roberts, the former NHL star who spends a great deal of his time these days enlightening young athletes about the benefits of proper diet and training. Roberts only works with the most dedicated athletes so that in itself is a good indication of Kadri’s determination to take his game to the next level. For Kadri, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 185 pounds, his mission is to get leaner, turning fat into muscle, and to become more explosive.
"Honest to God, I think in terms of what I am supposed to do on the ice, it’s all taken care of," Kadri said. "I know my role and what I am supposed to do when I am on the ice. It’s the off-ice routine that I am really focusing on. I am dedicating myself in terms of having a strict meal plan and working on explosive legs lifts so that my first couple of strides can separate me from everyone else. I’m already a pretty quick and elusive hockey player so once I get that explosiveness; it’s going to be dangerous."
It is encouraging that Kadri is working with Roberts, who has had a noticeable positive effect on Tampa’s Steven Stamkos and Carolina’s Jeff Skinner, but getting in top physical shape will not by itself elevate the London, Ontario native to the #1 center position.
Kadri did show some growth and maturity in his game last season, but played mostly with the defensively responsible AHL veterans Mike Zigomanis and Ryan Hamilton during the Marlies playoff run.
With the defensive shortcomings of Toronto’s first line being an obvious problem the last two seasons, Kadri will have to be substantially improved in his own end to have any chance to play between one of the most potent offensive combos in the league next season.
Would you rather give Kadri a shot at the top spot or are you more interested in seeing what James van Riemsdyk can do?
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