One thing Naz has to
improve is his eating habits. His body fat today is probably in the bottom 3 to
5 guys in our whole camp and that’s unacceptable.- Dallas Eakins, September 28,
2012
It wasn’t long ago
that Nazem Kadri was hearing criticism from the Toronto Marlies head coach. Now
Kadri has gone from being the source of constant criticism within the Leafs
organization, to leading the Leafs in points.
“It wasn’t about
pouting and looking for somewhere else to play,” said Kadri, who has 5 goals,
12 assists in 20 games this season. “It was fixing what they wanted me to fix.
I’m ok with the tough love.”
That tough love has
worked wonders. Kadri may still be the confident player he was when Toronto
selected him 7th overall in the 2009 draft, but he’s also growing up
– he’s learning from his past mistakes - and the results are showing on the
ice.
“My three years here
I’ve definitely grown as a hockey player and as a person as well,” admitted the
22 year old Kadri. “It was tough on me for a little bit but now that I’m having
some success and the team is having some success it is paying off.”
“He sometimes gets
categorized like he’s 25 years old and time is running out,” said linemate
Clarke MacArthur. “He’s just a young kid still and he’s played a couple of
years pro and has learned how to be consistent with the Marlies and now he’s
showing that here and he’s doing a great job.”
Kadri played the wing
over the last couple of years, but a switch back to his natural centre position
has paid off for him and the Leafs.
Playing on a line
with Leo Komarov and Clarke MacArthur, Toronto has as good a third line as
there is in the NHL.
He showed his slick
passing skills against the Flyers Monday in which he picked up a pair of
assists in helping Toronto win. Kadri is learning when he can- and can’t – do
too much.
“Last couple of
minutes in a period or in a game where you don’t really want to take a chance
and make the safe and easy play and that’s what’s going to reward me with more
ice time,” said Kadri who is a +7 while averaging just over 17 minutes of ice a
game.
“When he makes plays
to provide offence I don’t think you can take that away from a creative player,”
said coach Randy Carlyle. “I think one thing about the maturity of a young
player like Nazzy is where and when and how often you try the high risk high
reward play.”
For Kadri it’s a
constant struggle to earn respect. The Philadelphia Flyers Public Address
announcer on Monday pronounced his first name Na-ZEEM. The Leafs centre knows
the best way to rectify that is to keep putting points on the board.
“That’s what I figure
I mean the more my name is said over the PA the more likely they are to get it
right,” said Kadri.
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