All about winning
Leafs’ Kadri OK with demotion to third line after Tavares signing
Nazem Kadri has always seen himself as a No. 1 centre, but he’d have no problem being No. 3 on the Toronto Maple Leafs depth chart this season after the addition of John Tavares.
Toronto strengthened itself down the middle July 1 by signing free-agent Tavares to a seven-year, US $77-million deal. The 27-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native had 272 goals and 621 points during nine seasons with the New York Islanders.
The addition of Tavares (37 goals, 47 assists last season) leaves Toronto three-deep at centre with young star Auston Matthews (34 goals, 29 assists) and Kadri (32 goals, 23 assists). If Tavares’ arrival pushes Kadri to the third line, the 27-year-old London, Ont., native would be fine with it.
“Winning is the most important thing to me,” Kadri said Tuesday prior to participating in the NHL Classic at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. “I know that’s maybe a cliché but that’s just the honest truth.
“I don’t care where I play, I don’t care what role I play. Obviously, I want to be an impact player and continue to have the success I’m having . . . at the end of the day our ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup and bring that to the city of Toronto so we’re all going to be on the same page.”
Kadri believes with Tavares, his former teammate with the OHL’S London Knights, few teams can match Toronto’s depth at centre.
Toronto (40-27-15, 95 points) finished third in the Atlantic Division last season but was eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in seven games by the Boston Bruins. Despite that setback, right-winger Connor Brown said it will be hard for the Leafs to surprise opponents this season.
“Two years ago, we were kind of sneaking up on teams and last year everyone was a little bit more prepared,” he said. “You’re going to get everyone’s best and so you’ve got to bring your best every day.”
The prospect of playing alongside three top-flight centres this season certainly excites the sixfoot, 185-pound Brown.
“Those guys, they’re all very dynamic and so it doesn’t matter who you get,” he said. “You’re going to have a good centreman and usually that’s a recipe for success.”
The move reunites Tavares with Kadri, who were teammates with the OHL’S London Knights. Kadri said the biggest improvement in Tavares’ game has been his skating ability.
“Right from the beginning he was so gifted, he was just so much better than everyone else,” Kadri said. “His hands and hockey sense were just off the charts.
“But he’s worked on his skating since I saw him recently and obviously played against him the last few years. It’s been a big improvement for him.”