NHL nails Kadri for diving

Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri has been credited the past couple weeks for leading the league in drawing penalties.

But the NHL has been keeping tabs on Kadri’s behaviour with regards to drawing penalties, and has found several incidents they say are worthy of a fine.

On Friday, the league handed down $5,000 collectively for diving incidents in a series of three games between Feb. 4 and March 21.

So is he the league’s best at drawing penalties or one of its worst divers?

Kadri has drawn 28 more penalties than he has taken this season.

Up until Friday, there had been no indication of any fines headed Kadri’s way. In fact, the centre had not been fined in any of the last four seasons for any embellishments; the only incident was a warning for his throat slash reaction to being hacked by Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau March 21.

Leafs coach Mike Babcock responded to diving and Kadri: after a contentious March 26 game against Boston, the Leafs coach was angry afterward, and noted a “Kadri memo” must have gone out among league officials after his centre was felled to the ice by David Krejci with no penalty called.

Babcock was expressing his frustrations with the non-calls, but Friday’s fines dredged up the feeling Kadri is being scrutinized more than ever.

The NHL, in explaining its fines, stated that under Rule 64, the NHL determines diving penalties and fines “to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties.”

The Leafs have five games left this season, and if Kadri is penalized one more time for diving or embellishment he will receive a $4,000 fine and Babcock will be fined $2,000.