For those who';ve kept track of the NHL off-season, it';s clear the Toronto
Maple Leafs now have an embarrassment of riches down the middle.

They already had a franchise-calibre centre in Auston Matthews, as well as a
resurgent Nazem Kadri. Now with John Tavares in the fold, they have one of the
best trios at centre in the league - a unit that may only be rivaled by the
Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

The Leafs now have three out of the eight centres in the NHL who have scored 30
 or more goals in each of the last two seasons. Whether it';s Tavares or
Matthews slotting in as Toronto';s top faceoff man remains to be seen, but one
thing that';s far more certain is Kadri filling the number three spot on the
depth chart.Nazem Kadri will be Toronto';s third-line centre for the upcoming
season. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

As he told the Toronto Sun earlier this week, he';s fine with taking on a
lesser role if he ends up being part of a team that can do some damage in the
playoffs next season, as many people expect them to.

The Leafs are beaming over having a pivot like Kadri, who';s now a consistent
60-point threat and is capable of playing a shutdown role.Kadri Coming Into His
 Own

Long gone are the days where Kadri was considered immature and frustrated the
Leafs'; brass. Ever since Mike Babcock took over as head coach in 2015, Kadri
has been much more effective. Babcock has tapped into Kadri';s pesky side and
developed him into more of a two-way centre capable of shutting down an
opposing team';s top line.

One of his signature performances in a shutdown role was during a November 2016
 match-up against the Edmonton Oilers in which he was a thorn in Connor
McDavid';s side. He scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner,
outworking McDavid for the puck on that play.

Kadri, who';s played the most games as a Leaf out of everyone on the roster,
has excelled on both sides of the ice since he refined his playing style. The
past two seasons have been his best from an offensive standpoint as he';s
scored 32 goals in each year.

His emergence has led some people, including THW';s Pat Stothers, to believe he
 could be considered for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. He';s shown that he can be
an agitator, particularly in the Edmonton game where he got under McDavid';s
skin.

Last year, he cut his penalty minutes in half from the previous season, but
he';s still been known to go over the edge. In particular, last year';s
playoffs were cut short for Kadri when he was suspended three games for
boarding Boston Bruins forward Tommy Wingels in the third period of Game 1.

So long as incidents such as those are few and far between, the Leafs will be
thrilled with what they';re getting out of Kadri on the third shift.Helping Out
 the Young Core

There';s no question Kadri has excelled the past two seasons, whether it';s as
a top-six forward or more of a supporting role.

His combination of skill and two-way ability makes him the most intriguing
third-line centre in the NHL today.Kadri has recorded back-to-back 32-goal
seasons with the Leafs. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

On most other teams, perhaps he';d be a number two centre, but he';ll be
depended on to lead the Leafs third line and help young forwards such as Connor
 Brown, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson develop.

Kapanen and Johnsson will both be looking to stick with the Leafs on a
permanent basis next year and their quickness can bode well on a line with
Kadri.

As for Brown, he';s growing into a solid two-way player, scored 20 goals in his
 rookie season and has had proven success playing alongside Kadri. Once a 13th
round draft pick in the OHL draft, he overcame the odds to win the league';s
MVP award in his final season of junior and he';s had a steady progression in
the pro ranks.

Johnsson in particular could be exciting to watch alongside Kadri, especially
coming off a year in which he was integral in the Toronto Marlies'; run to the
Calder Cup.

Brown and Johnsson are both smaller players, but haven';t been stopped from
excelling as professionals yet.

Although the Leafs have had a hard time finding a spot for Kapanen in their top
 three lines, his dynamic skating ability has helped him produce in key
situations, especially during the past two playoffs.

Whichever of these players ends up on the third line, you can be sure they';d
only get better from playing alongside Kadri.

The post Kadri Could Flourish as Leafs'; Third-Line Centre appeared first on
The Hockey Writers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHockeyWrite...
--- SBBSecho 3.05-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)