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The news is out. The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t “sweep… it under the rug and the team ultimately decided that announcing to the media that Nazem Kadri is being benched during back to back games after showing up late for a team meeting, is the best scenario.
And I fully agree.
We have reached an era of professional sports where more and more athletes seem to have a feeling of entitlement because they simply made it to the NHL. While this is certainly something that most professional athletes should have, it is also something earned and not given.
Kadri, for no reason, should feel entitled in the NHL given what he has proven as a player on, and or off the ice to date. He is still quite young and the Maple Leafs have decided that so far he is part of their rebuild picture moving forward. Given the raw talent that Kadri possesses and the type of game which he’s demonstrated so far, there is clear value to retain this player, but only for the right reasons.
Now I’m sure many of you are either reading this or thought to yourselves, “Wow, can we blow this up anymore!?…
You’re right, this has received a fair amount of attention but that’s the point. Brendan Shanahan has decided that it is time that this particular player “looks himself in the mirror and makes some decisions.…
Whether or not you agree with the benching or media attention this has received, this is ultimately the time to make decisions like this and really mold the group of players that you wish to move with in the upcoming years.
Having the right skillsets but also attitudes is very important when it comes to finding success in today’s NHL, and the Maple Leafs have done enough things wrong in the past that dealing with this “problem… once and (hopefully) for all, is the right step to take.
This will not only send a message to the player in question, but to the team and organization given how much attention it has received. You want to play for the Maple Leafs, you better come with the right attitude and professionalism.
This is certainly not the first incident between Kadri and the Leafs’ brass, and I can almost assure you that if it’s not his last, we won’t be seeing much more of this player ala Evander Kane.
Thanks for reading!