It’s entirely understandable that Maple Leaf fans, and especially the Leafs’ front office (already beleaguered by a slower-than-hoped-for rebuilding process) have had a sick feeling in their stomachs lately.
The Leafs’ recent nasty skid, halted by a pair of wins against the Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils respectively this past week, had seen them lose eight games in a row. This reminded many people of the team’s seven-game slide that began last season, and set the tone for a 29th-out-of-30th finish to the season.
Perhaps the Leafs, as they showed last year, are one of the only teams in pro sports that can bury themselves in the first month of a marathon-long season.
Nobody really thought that Leafs super-alpha General Manager Brian Burke would let things get truly out of hand. It’s common knowledge that the heat on him would increase exponentially if another season spiralled out of control well before Torontonians broke out their snow shovels for the first time.
Burke’s options on the trade front were greatly limited, because, well, it’s hard to convince other teams to trade for players on a team like Toronto’s. He did have one weapon in the minors that he could deploy, and finally, the Leafs’ lacking efforts forced his hand.
On November 13, the much-touted Nazem Kadri of London, Ontario, made his NHL debut.
One of the first top draft choices of the Burke era, Kadri has always been thought of by fans, most of whom hadn’t seen him play, as a Sidney Crosby or — gulp — Tyler Seguin-type player that can carry the franchise.
Did the call-up reek of panic? Well, quite frankly it’s hard to seriously suggest it didn’t.
Just a month and a bit ago, Kadri was deemed not yet ready for the NHL, and was sent to the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies to polish his skills. The point, it seemed at the time, was to give him time to develop, rather than merely put him somewhere until a roster spot opened up.
To deviate from that plan so suddenly, in the face of such an abysmal losing streak, has to suggest panic.
Was it the right move? Time will tell, but so far it hasn’t backfired, to say the least.
Kadri hasn’t been perfect, but he’s shown good play-making skills and raw talent. In just his second game, the Leafs roared back from a 3–0 hole against Nashville to snap the wretched losing streak.
But now it’s about shifting gears from short-term relief to long-term salvation. Kadri’s success in a Leafs’ uniform will be judged by whether they ultimately reach the promised land, whether that means winning a Stanley Cup or merely slipping into the eighth playoff seed.
Burke will give Kadri the pieces, one would hope, and unless he crashes and burns, he is in the big leagues for the long run. At this point in the game, it seems as if the Leafs decision to call up him up from the AHL doesn’t really matter. The pressure’s on.
