Columnist image

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

| Archive

TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs and Senators skated at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday morning.

Shortly after the Maple Leafs signed John Tavares on July 1, head coach Mike Babcock reached out to Nazem Kadri. Babcock wanted to let Kadri, now No. 3 on the centre depth chart behind Tavares and Auston Matthews, know that he still planned on using him against other top lines. 

"'Still an important piece of this puzzle and still an impact player,'" said Kadri, recalling Babcock's message, "and he's going to look to me to do a lot of the same things I've been doing for the last few years. For me, I’ve had success in that type of role, you know, why would you change it? So, obviously, Babs has the hockey IQ to realize that."

But that plan has changed, at least for now. On Wednesday, Babcock went with the Tavares line against Montreal’s top unit featuring Phillip Danault, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar. 

So, what happened to Kadri’s match-up role?

"I'm not going to do it for a bit," Babcock confirmed after the morning skate. "I'm going to do it eventually here and (for now) I'm just going to figure out my lines and get everyone on the ice as much as I can. If the situation in a game dictates that, then I'll have it. Naz had a different type of line [last season] than he has this year too, that reflects on that as well."

Last season, Kadri skated much of the time with veterans Patrick Marleau and Leo Komarov with Mitch Marner eventually replacing Komarov on the right. 

With William Nylander still unsigned, the lines are a bit different than perhaps Babcock initially envisioned. So far this season, Kadri has been flanked by Josh Leivo and Connor Brown.

"I think the guys on my line like to hold onto the puck and they like to be creative and make plays," said Kadri, "but we have to understand there's certain areas of the ice that are more forgiving in order to do that."

Leivo is earning consistent playing time after spending much of the last two seasons as a healthy scratch. 

"It's a work in progress," Babcock said, "they're just figuring all that out. Obviously, Brownie has got to do what Brownie does. He's got to be on the forecheck, be on their sticks, get to the nets, track, penalty kill, do all those things. Leivs is just figuring out what he can do if he plays every day. The biggest thing for him is he's got to work every shift. If he does that without the puck, the things with the puck will handle itself."

Kadri may not be in the match-up role right now, but he’s still going to get his minutes, according to Babcock. Kadri logged 17:03 versus the Canadiens, which was higher than his average last season (16:46). Kadri remains on the top power play unit and picked up an assist on the man advantage Wednesday. And he will also see some time as a winger at even strength. 

“Right now, the way we're going is we're trying to get people on the ice as much as we possibly can and see them all in all situations,” said Babcock. "Naz played a fair bit of wing last game and will (play on) special teams a little bit so we can get his minutes to a level that's good for him. Right now, we're more just doing what we've got to do to get our team playing."

Kadri scored 32 goals in each of the last two seasons and doesn’t expect to take a step back this year even as he’s pushed down the centre depth chart. 

"Every year you want to surpass those career expectations and you want to have a career year every year,” he said, while noting the measurement of that isn’t always in goals and assists. "I just want to have the best year of my career and I feel good to do that."

Much of the early part of the season is about feeling things out. So, how long will Babcock give his new-look lines to create chemistry? ​

"Sometimes you don't have any tolerance for it and sometimes you have more," he explained. "When you think something is going to work, you're going to stick with it longer. I think in our situation, (Zach) Hyman was out [during the preseason] so he's not up to speed. You look at stuff like that – I don't think we've played at a level that we're capable of at any time so far. I think we're in there as a group though, not individually, so we'll just keep watching."

 

—

 

Kadri is certainly at home in the spotlight and craziness that comes with being a frontline player in the centre of the hockey universe. Among the more active players on the Leafs on social media – "I feel like I owe it to the fans," he says – Kadri recently retweeted someone who had named their newborn baby after him. ​    

"It’s surreal," he said. "I love the name for a first name, to be honest with you. That's like the second or third time that's happened so, obviously, privileged and honoured to try and be a role model for the youth."

Kadri plans on sending the family a care package, including possibly the puck he uses to score his first goal of the season. 

 

—

Brady Tkachuk skated on Saturday morning, but will sit out a second straight game as he recovers from a groin injury. 

"Brady's close, but not yet," said coach Guy Boucher. "Hopeful for Monday."

Max McCormick will be out at least through Monday’s game in Boston with a lower-body injury. Call-up Paul Carey will draw in tonight.

"He's very smart," said Boucher. "We know he's a guy who's played in the NHL and is able to play PK and five-on-five and right now he’s going to play with (Tom) Pyatt and Magnus Paajarvi and we want him to have the same pace as these two guys have."

 

—-

Earlier this week, Tkachuk did an interview with TSN’s Brent Wallace alongside fellow rookies Maxime Lajoie and Alex Formenton. When Lajoie said that his girlfriend was the first person he told when he found out he made the Senators, Tkachuk cringed. 

"I know Max and his girlfriend aren't mad at me," Tkachuk said with a wide smile on Saturday morning. "So, that’s a good thing."

The reaction garnered plenty of social media attention and certainly incited some chuckles in the dressing room. 

"Oh, absolutely we were laughing about that," said Matt Duchene. "But there’s more to that story. You have to ask Brady who the first person he told was."

“He’s a funny guy,” said Lajoie with a smile. “He's always making jokes, but I’m sure if you asked him that question and asked him to be honest about it, I’m sure he would’ve said the same answer."

So, Brady, what do you have to say for yourself? 

"He probably did text his girlfriend first," Tkachuk said. "I mean, I know my girlfriend was pretty high up there on the list. But, for me, I just texted my parents. And for him to not say his parents first and then later in the night to see his parents reaction after he scored was pretty funny."

—-

*Lines at Leafs morning skate:

 

Hyman-Tavares-Marner 

Marleau-Matthews-Ennis

Leivo-Kadri-Brown 

Johnsson-Lindholm-Kapanen 

Gauthier 

 

Rielly-Hainsey 

Gardiner-Zaitsev 

Dermott-Ozhiganov

Marincin-Holl

 

Andersen

Sparks 

 

*Lines at Senators morning skate:

 

Dzingel-Duchene-White

Boedker-Smith-Stone

Formenton-Tierney-Ryan

Pyatt-Carey-Paajarvi

 

Chabot-DeMelo

Borowiecki-Wideman

Lajoie-Ceci

 

Anderson starts

Condon