The Toronto Maple Leafs open a three-game road swing through Western Canada with a match against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday. The game is of a critical nature for the Flames who are tied with the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division and one point ahead of the injury-riddled Winnipeg Jets in the race for a Western Conference wild card spot.
The game has considerably less consequence for the Maple Leafs, who ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 shootout victory over Buffalo on Wednesday. Toronto will go with James Reimer in goal and will be without forward Nazem Kadri for the third straight game, as the club finishes off another season without qualifying for the playoffs.
A better idea of the future blueprint for the Maple Leafs will not begin to take shape until the offseason, but events this week regarding the suspension of Kadri add his status to an ever growing number of questions to be dealt with by Team President Brendan Shanahan.
The future of GM Dave Nonis and the hiring of a new head coach aside, the Maple Leafs are expected make full scale roster changes, with veterans Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul heading the list of players possibly moving elsewhere.
The players that are expected to remain in Toronto are those young enough to still be in their prime after a few seasons of teardown and rebuild (James van Riemsdyk, Jonathan Bernier, Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly, Peter Holland and Kadri) and have the capability of assuming leadership roles going forward.
The three-game punishment dished out to Kadri by the Leafs this week is not the result of one instance of being late for practice last Sunday, but an ongoing issue of the 2009 top pick’s maturity and dedication in his fifth professional season.
Prior instances of difficulty were dismissed as a product of the London, ON native being young and not fitting well with the style of former head coaches Ron Wilson and Randy Carlyle, but the this embarrassing public wake-up call from Shanahan, Nonis and interim coach Peter Horachek indicates that the excuses for immaturity on and off the ice have to come to an end for Kadri (who turns 25 at the beginning of next season) or he could join the others who will be part of the exodus.
Kadri’s contract status could be affected by the organization’s uneasiness. With the expiration of his two-year, $5.8 Million bridge deal, the likelihood of getting a long-term extension may be off the table. The center has two seasons before qualifying for unrestricted free agency and will be an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Toronto is leaning towards keeping Kadri but that concerns away from the rink have not damaged his value around the league if they decide to move him in the near future.
Toronto may elect to go to arbitration and sign Kadri for one year to get proof that he has changed his ways and still have the protection of RFA status and the option of signing him to a long term deal after the 2015-16 season, while still reserving the option of trading him.
It is all up to Nazem Kadri where his future lies.
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McEichel Race – Points(Games Played)
8. PHILADELPHIA 70(69) 7. NEW JERSEY 67(68) 6. COLUMBUS 62(67) 5. TORONTO 60(68), 4. CAROLINA 58(66), 3. ARIZONA 50(68), 2. EDMONTON 47(68), 1. BUFFALO 44(67)
Current Leafs odds at winning Draft Lottery(8.5%) Same
Wednesday’s Results: The Leafs move into sole possession of 26th place as Columbus wins 3-1 in Detroit. Carolina loses 5-3 to Dallas in Raleigh and remain two points behind Toronto but have two games in hand.
Games to Watch – Edmonton at Columbus
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