Toronto Maple Leafs Call Up Nazem Kadri: What If He Fails?

Mark RitterNov 12, 2010

The news hit the airwaves today that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has called up top prospect Nazem Kadri.

There are a lot of differing opinions as to what to expect from the former seventh overall selection (2009 NHL Entry Draft).

After what many called a disappointing rookie tournament and preseason, Kadri was sent down to the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies in hopes that he would rediscover his confidence and learn a little defense along the way.

After a slow start, Kadri has rebounded to register five goals and nine assists through 14 games. He seems to have found some defensive responsibility along the way.

Many Leaf fans have commented that calling up Kadri screams of desperation, but the team is struggling to score goals. And with Tyler Bozak looking lost on more nights than not, Burke had to do something, anything to try to turn around a team that has now lost seven straight games.

Kadri, who many Maple Leaf fans seem to think is the Blue and White’s “Messiah,” has the potential to be an offensive threat night-in, night-out in the NHL. But there is also a certain amount of fear that he, like many young Leaf prospects before him, will not pan out.

Should Kadri fail, Burke will have played his best hand and lost. Which begs the question—what can the Maple Leafs do next if Kadri fails?

In all honesty, outside of pulling off a trade for a top six forward (preferably a centre) Burke will be out of options, which could spell disaster.

Head coach Ron Wilson has already tried mixing up his lines. To date, Wilson has not received the type of results he has been longing for, which may be an indication the coach is not getting through to his troops or that the chemistry simply isn't there.

Kadri will allow Wilson to balance out the offense on his top two lines—something that has been missing all season long.

Don’t get me wrong, the Maple Leafs' second unit has been pretty solid. That said, outside of Kessel (who is now marred in a seven-game scoreless streak of his own) the top line has been invisible on most nights, which has led to far too many losses.

It is unclear which line Kadri will play on or which player will flank him. Suffice to say, the current crop is not working out, so it doesn’t matter where he plays as long as the unit clicks.

On the flip side, Wilson may opt to use Kadri on the wing—a position where he has showed considerable improvement, one that also carries much less defensive responsibility.

A line of Bozak, Kessel and Kadri is intriguing, as is a unit which features Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Kadri.

Either way, as much as the Leafs seem to need the bigger boost down the middle, Kadri’s offensive flare will be welcomed wherever he plays.

For the sake of Kadri and the entire organization, I hope this experiment works. Failure may spell big changes, including the firing of Wilson or mass player movement, neither of which will sit well with Burke.