Nazem Kadri: 7th Overall and a Bust?

There are few things I remember more vividly than the events that transpired on June 26th, 2009. I was at my then girlfriend’s house trying to convince her that watching the new Sex and City movie on DVD was not nearly as important as watching Leafs' future unfold in what was certain to be a pivotal moment in the looming rebuild.

We argued a bit, and she begrudgingly went upstairs, allowing me to the watch the draft on the couch – which is subsequently where I slept. I did, sadly, see Sex and City later that week – I’ll never understand why Carrie took Big back, leaving her at the altar, proving that he wasn’t the man she had built him up to be throughout the series. Sigh, but I digress...

I called up Curt S, who was then only known as “Curt”. We talked over our predictions as to how the draft would transpire, with both of use agreeing that the odds of Duchene, Tavares , Hedman, or Kane slipping all the way down to 7 (when the Leafs first picked) were slim to none. Our goal, like that of most of Leaf Nation, was to somehow trade up and choose Brayden Schenn, uniting him with older brother Luke.

At the close of the 4th pick we had sadly missed out on the top tier of draftees, then Schenn went to the Los Angeles Kings at 5. As pick 7 approached it was agreed unanimously that Magnus Parjavi-Svensson (then known as Svensson-Pajaarvi) from Sweden was the best option left on the board. His size and speed would be a great addition to our top 9, and many scouts had compared him (unfairly) to a young Peter Forsberg.

Brian Burke stepped up to the mic, confident as ever, to announce Toronto’s 1st round selection. He went on to choose Nazem Kadri of the London Knights. I suddenly heard a loud crash on the other end of the phone, and it went silent. I tried calling back a couple times, and eventually got through to Curt. He has thrown his cell phone in disgust against a nearby wall, and needed a few moments to collect himself – he really wanted Magnus – I think it was around this time we decided to start a blog.


Kadri was sold to us as a future top line center, possessing deft hands, a natural ‘edge’ and competitiveness that more than compensated for what he lacked in stature. Ron Wilson famously said that Nazem would one day be a 100 point player in the NHL – the obvious joke now being if he was referring to Kadri's ‘career’ total. The offensive stats from his years in the OHL were sublime, and had many a Leaf fans penciling him in on the top line for a decade to come.

OHL2007-2008: 68GP, 25G, 40A, 65Pts (Kitchener Rangers)
2008-2009: 56GP, 25G, 43A, 78Pts (London Knights)
2009-2010: 56GP, 35G, 58A, 93Pts (London Knights)

The issue with Kadri is twofold; stemming from both his inability to find a role in Leafs' everyday line-up, and the draft class in which he was taken.

The crop of players who have emerged from the 2009 class is a virtual who’s who of young stars in the league. The players below were taken before Kadri at 7:

1. John Tavares

2. Victor Hedman
3. Matt Duchene
4. Evander Kane
5. Brayden Schenn
6. Oliver Ekman-Larsson

It’s hard to avoid the comparisons of Nazem to the players listed above. With Tavares, Hedman, Duchene, and Kane all making significant contributions to their teams.
A look at some of the notable players taken after 7 reveals that there was significant value to be had later in the draft. This raises the obvious question; in hindsight, was Kadri overvalued by Burke and his scouts?

9. Jared Cowan
10. Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson
11. Ryan Ellis
13. Zach Kassian
14. Dimitri Kulikov
24. Marcus Johansson

Shootouts have allowed Kadri to show off his fantastic puck handling ability. There are few if any on the team that can match his level of pure skill. Unfortunately, this high skill hasn’t resulted in production at even strength or the power play.

Kadri has looked out of place in the NHL game, with defensemen able to push him off the puck far too easily, taking advantage of his 185 pound frame. The flashes of offensive flare have been few and far between. Often he’ll group together one or two productive shifts, generating chances in the offensive zone, only to disappear for the remainder of the game. Despite mixing and matching of linemates, he’s never truly gotten comfortable in the top 9. The result being multiple call ups and demotions to the Marlies.

It’s my opinion that year 3 of a players development is when he has to demonstrate he has the ability to be a pro. It just doesn’t seem to be there with Nazem.  For whatever the reason, Toronto hasn’t been a fit for him or his style of game.

Having said this, he certainly has value as a trade chip, given his skill set and draft pedigree. The time has come to package him in a trade for an asset that can help us in the here and now. Allowing another team to try and figure what exactly Nazem needs to be a successful NHLer. The time has come to call him a bust in Toronto.

Curt runs our twitter account @bcphockeyblog but he loves telling me all of the awful shit you guys have to say about me.  So, Kadri lovers, give me your worst!