Kadri vows he’ll change his ways
No. 43 must temper his DEFCON 5 response to imperilled teammates, if he’s not already put his own Toronto Maple Leafs career in danger.
A contrite Nazem Kadri emerged from 11 days of silence on locker cleanout day, this time vowing to take even stronger measures to police himself after a second spring suspension hurt his club in a seven-game loss to Boston. He missed the final five contests for a cross-check to the head of Boston’s Jake DeBrusk, after the Bruin rammed Leafs winger Patrick Marleau into a post near the end of the B’s bench. “Sometimes I think a little too much with my heart, instead of my head and that’s something I’m going to fix,” Kadri vowed Thursday. “I can assure you this isn’t going to happen again.”
It was much the same line he delivered after the NHL bounced him three games last year for boarding Tommy Wingels, an overreaction for hitting Mitch Marner high. “All these instances are standing up for other people and not myself,” Kadri said. “I know I put us behind the 8-ball and my teammates and the staff, know that I would do anything for the players. You don’t cross the line and you don’t want that happening again, but there are certain things I can do to fix the situation.” Pressed on what anger management methods he might try, Kadri replied “they’re more on the personal side and I’d rather not share those things.”
He has a string of regular season suspensions as well.
Kadri insisted he can be trusted should the Leafs get in the playoffs next year and though he isn’t a contract headache with three more years at US$4.5 million, that’s a workable deal for a trade if the club thinks he’s too loose a cannon. Kadri has been on four Leafs playoff teams, all of which lost in the first round. This year, with so many upsets going on around them, might have been their best chance for a deep run — and he was in street clothes.
“It was brutal, tough to sit back and watch when you know you can possibly make a difference. “Of course I regret it. I’ve never been so anxious and stressed out than (watching) these games.”