Columnist image

TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

| Archive

TORONTO – Nazem Kadri could sense a suspension was forthcoming before the NHL’s Department of Player Safety officially ruled last week. Less known to Kadri at the time was just how much the suspension would cost him – not in dollars and cents, but in meaningful playoff action.

The league sidelined Kadri three games for charging Boston Bruins’ forward Tommy Wingels in Game 1 of the Leafs’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff series last Thursday. Kadri was tossed from that contest ­– a 5-1 Toronto loss – in the third period, and he watched as the Leafs dropped two of their next three without him.

With Toronto’s season on the line in Game 5 Saturday, Kadri will return to the Leafs’ lineup in Boston. Both remorseful and defiant over the play that railroaded his postseason, Kadri’s only hope for more playoff time is putting the suspension to bed with a big performance.

“I was disappointed; I wasn’t expecting [three games], that’s for sure,” said Kadri after a team meeting on Friday. “That particular play [before the hit], I felt a liberty had been taken on Mitch [Marner]. I’m always going to stand up for my teammates, stand up for myself. That part isn’t going to change about me. Was it worthy of a suspension? I definitely think so. But I think three games were definitely a little harsh. I’m just going to move forward now.”

Feeling the league’s wrath is nothing new for Kadri, but in recent seasons he’s been more restrained. The nine-year NHL veteran has been suspended three times in the regular season since 2013, with the most recent infraction coming in April 2016 when Kadri got four games for cross-checking Luke Glendening.

Since then Kadri has put together the two best seasons of his career, posting back-to-back 32-goal campaigns and evolving into one of the NHL’s upper-echelon shutdown centres. While his agitating presence still effectively gets under opponents’ skin, Kadri had seemingly matured to the point he could toe the line of feisty physicality without crossing it.

“I’m not sure [my past] played a part in [this suspension], but if it did, I understand the decision,” Kadri said. “At that point in the game I didn’t feel it was a malicious play to try and go in and hurt him. It was more of a statement thing, making a lot of contact with the majority of the boards. Thankfully [Wingels] wasn’t injured on the play, but if my intent was there, there possibly could have been an injury and it could have been a lot worse.”

Kadri said his teammates know he was just trying to protect one of their own on the play. All the Leafs are focused on now is getting Kadri back at full speed, where he can help make the series deficit more manageable.

“It’s big. He’s going to be fresh, ready to go,” said Jake Gardiner. “He’s a really competitive guy. You saw it not in the best way against Boston, but he sticks up for his teammates and wants to win so bad. Getting him back is going to be an energy boost for us.”

Gardiner and Kadri were among the handful of current Leafs who were also down 3-1 to Boston in a 2013 first-round playoff series. That group stormed back to force Game 7, where they blew an infamous 4-1 third-period lead before losing 5-4 in overtime.

Kadri said there’s no reason to assume a similar path can’t be forged by this Leafs team.

“Anything can happen,” he said. “We understand we’re a team that’s very capable of winning a few games in a row. You have to trust in one another. This would definitely make for a great story, so we’re going to approach it game by game.”

Making room for Kadri again in his regular matchup line role between Patrick Marleau and Marner will require Mike Babcock to slide Tomas Plekanec from that perch back to the fourth line in Game 5. Plekanec has been outstanding over the series’ last two games and that line with him in the middle has been Toronto’s best.

Without showing his hand about what’s to come, Babcock said the question of whether Plekanec can maintain his high level of play in a reduced role is one he already posed to the veteran.

“I said, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing, but if I do this, are you going to still [be the same?] You found your game as a Leaf; we need you to be that good.’” Babcock said. “It’s unfortunate for [Kadri] that he missed three games…But he comes back and he’ll make us deeper. Plus, he’ll have good energy for us so it’s important to have that going into Boston.”​