After spending 10 years in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, tonight Nazem Kadri will face his old team for the first time. He met with the media a couple hours before his much-anticipated reunion with the franchise that picked him seventh overall in 2009.
Here are some of the highlights:
Any regrets about how his time in Toronto ended with a playoff suspension?
"Ah, yeah, a little bit. I mean, it's tough to beat yourself up over that. It's an emotional thing and, obviously, I would've enjoyed another opportunity at redemption, but, that being said, I gave it everything I had every single night for a lot of years so I'm sure the organization and the fans will be proud of that ... obviously, I'm regretful for how it went down. In my opinion, I was playing some of my best hockey in that series so it was tough how it ended, but that's just how it goes."
Any disappointment at how general manager Kyle Dubas broke the news about the trade?
"Yeah, a little bit. When it happened, at first, I was a little bit bitter towards it. But as time goes on, time heals all, so I got over that pretty quick. It was unfortunate. It was a phone call that I'll never forget, but, that being said, I think ending up in Denver was a blessing in disguise."
Did he spend much time wondering why the Leafs moved him?
"A little bit. I mean, obviously, with the suspensions and, you know, it was obviously maybe an option, but it was indicated to me that they weren't trying to shop me around so I was expecting to suit up as a Leaf this year. But I understand the business, I understand how things change and offers get thrown at you and maybe it's tough to not accept one or two of them so, ah, no hard feelings."
On Mike Babcock getting fired ...
"Obviously, tough to see. I think any team that's struggling is obviously looking for a spark and a change and I think that's what the team was looking for. I, personally, think Babs is a great coach and he helped that team over there get to the next step. Obviously, they felt it was time for a spark."
On what he'll take from his years with the Leafs ...
"I mean, we'll be here forever if I get going on that. I came in as an 18-year-old kid, left at 28, those are pretty significant years of your life under the microscope so I'm very appreciative of everything the city has given me and just that opportunity."
On what he misses most about Toronto ...
"I miss the fans. I miss the city. I miss the guys that were there. I was able to catch up last night and go out for some dinner and hear about all the stories. I miss those guys over there and they're very easy to get along with. Obviously, I've watched those younger kids grow in their first few years in the league. So, (Morgan Rielly), obviously being there from Day 1. So, definitely a few guys that are going to be missed, but those types of friendships last forever."
How does he feel about hitting them tonight?
"(Smiles) I told them I was coming after every single one of them so I don't think that they'd be surprised at all. Obviously, I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place going after a few of my buddies, but I'm all about winning and if that's what it takes, that's what it takes."
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The Leafs acquired Tyson Barrie and forward Alexander Kerfoot in the deal for Kadri and Calle Rosen.
Barrie spent eight years in Colorado and is the franchise leader in points and goals by a defenceman. He formed many close friendships over the years, including with Nathan MacKinnon. Does he plan on chirping the Avalanche centre tonight?
"Oh yeah," Barrie said with a laugh. "I got about eight years of stuff I'm going to unload on him. I've never played against Nate before so that should be good. He's scary, he's playing good right now so it’s a good test for us."
MacKinnon has 13 goals and 19 assists to rank sixth in league scoring. He's only been held off the scoresheet in four of 22 games.
"On any given night I think he's the best player in the league," Barrie said.
Barrie, who said he had several "dates" lined up with ex-teammates, admits there's emotion involved in this return to the Mile High City.
"Oddly enough there's no ill will," the 28-year-old said. "I'm kind of rooting for them in my heart so it’s nice to see them do so well."
Barrie and Kadri met after the trade in the summer and have actually started up a quasi-friendship by virtue of moving into each other's old place. They've exchanged texts throughout the season as little questions popped up.
"We're kind of building a relationship and we don’t really know each other that well," Barrie observed. "We both trust each other and it’s been a good fit."
Barrie noted some Leafs would be going over to see Kadri on Friday night and he'd get a report on the state of the residence.
"I need to know if I need to rip a coffee machine out of the wall to get back at him," he joked.
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Sheldon Keefe admits he wasn't a fully-formed coach when Dubas hired him to run the Greyhounds bench in Sault Ste. Marie.
"The way that I've coached has evolved through my relationship with Kyle and the type of teams we’ve had since going back to Sault Ste. Marie," the new Leafs coach explained. "When I arrived in Sault Ste. Marie I arrived with an open mind, not necessarily a philosophy or anything. In fact, I learned pretty quickly I didn’t know a whole lot and I had to get myself up to speed and figure all that out. Kyle's vision got me to work in terms of, 'OK, how can we make this look on the ice and make it be successful? And make it be successful?' And be able to build on that."
But Keefe, 39, also learned a lot from playing under John Tortorella in Tampa Bay from 2000 to 2003. He calls Tortorella the "foundation" of his coaching career.
"Torts took over the team and year over year you saw the progress and the team grow," Keefe recalled. "I wasn’t there for the Stanley Cup, but it made sense to me why that happened and being there through that growth. Seeing how the players grew under his guidance really helped me get a start in coaching in terms of what I wanted to be able to accomplish."
Keefe also points out he learns a lot from studying other sports like basketball and soccer.
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Keefe's first full practice as Leafs coach on Friday lasted only 32 minutes.
"Mainly just wanted to continue with what we worked on (Thursday)," Keefe explained, "we didn’t want to expand beyond that. The main thing being that we have to manage the players. As much as we want to do a lot of things, cover a lot of things, we have to manage the players energy levels, it’s been a long grind for them to get to this point."
The Leafs have been on the road since losing Saturday in Pittsburgh. The trip has seen them play in three different time zones before landing in the high altitude of Denver.
Many of the drills on Friday appeared focused on five-on-five play through the middle of the ice.
"Very up-tempo, a lot touches on the puck," Jason Spezza observed, "we played a little game that involved us moving off the puck and he was really detailed in his explanations."
"Just supporting each other all over the ice," said centre Auston Matthews of the focus, "not rushing plays when we have the puck, especially in the neutral zone and that’s the stuff we worked on (Friday) and it'll be a constant progression. Everybody knows how hard it is to get through the neutral zone in the NHL. Teams are good at stacking their lines so it’s just a constant progression and something we’ll continue to work on."
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Projected Leafs line-up for Saturday's game:
Johnsson - Matthews - Nylander
Mikheyev - Tavares - Hyman
Kerfoot - Spezza - Kapanen
Engvall - Shore - Gauthier
Rielly - Ceci
Muzzin - Holl
Dermott - Barrie
Andersen starts
Kaskisuo
Scratches: Petan, Timashov, Marincin
Injured: Marner (high ankle sprain), Moore (shoulder)