Update:
Per TSN, the Leafs have indeed signed defenseman Paul Ranger to a one year deal for $1 Million.
*******
Nazem Kadri has yet to agree to a new deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but when the contract negotiations are done, the 22 year old’s goal is to earn the role of the club’s number one center.
According to
Kyle Cicerella of Canadian Press, the restricted free agent has been training at the Leafs practice facility in Etobicoke, ON to improve parts of his game for next season, which include weekly sessions with skating consultant Barbara Underhill, additional off-ice training with Leafs conditioning coach Anthony Belza and working on improving his efficiency in winning faceoffs.
Kadri indicated that being the club’s top line center has been his goal since being drafted by Toronto seventh overall in 2009 and that being stronger and faster will be necessary to achieve that goal.
“Expectations are going to be higher and I think from day one I’ve never stopped believing,” Kadri said. “I want to be a go-to guy they can count on, a guy who can really lead the way on the ice.”
The London, ON native shook off controversies regarding body fat, training with ex-Leaf Gary Roberts and a string of ineffective games that forced Marlies coach Dallas Eakins to bench him by getting off to a fast start when the NHL season began.
“Getting off to a great start was big for me. I came in, scored a few goals and all of a sudden my confidence was through the roof.” Kadri said “A player like me, I need confidence to bring out my full potential.”
According to the Toronto Sun’s Mike Zeisberger, the Leafs still have questions whether Kadri can sustain the high level of production he displayed in 2013. Kadri finished with 18 goals and 26 assists in 48 games, but had a noticeable decline in production in the final month of the season, scoring only one goal in April and one goal in the first round loss to Boston.
Toronto hopes to get Kadri signed bridge contract of two or three years, for around $3 Million to $3.5 Million per season, giving the young center a significant pay increase and allowing the club more time to evaluate whether Kadri is capable of becoming the top line center he aspires to be.
*******
Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox reports the Maple Leafs are on the verge of signing defenseman Paul Ranger to a one year contract. The 28 year-old native of Whitby, Ontario was drafted by Tampa Bay in the sixth round(183rd overall) in 2002, and played 270 games between 2005-2009, but was granted leave from the club early in the 2009-10 season for personal reasons.
Ranger signed an AHL-only deal with the Toronto Marlies last August and performed well with the Marlies throughout the 2012-13 season, scoring eight goals and 17 assists in 51 regular season games and four points during the AHL Playoffs, but turned down a chance to compete for an NHL job after the end of the lockout last January.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
For Those on Twitter:
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information
click here.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»