Scott MacDonald
When Nazem Kadri came to Colorado from the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, he brought some baggage with him.
And the “baggage” I’m referring to is more than just his equipment and personal luggage. This baggage comes in the form of a reputation that has preceded him in the past, especially come playoff time. That reputation of Kadri’s was well-perpetuated by the oft-blinding spotlight of Toronto and its insatiable, bemoaning mediascape that comes with the territory up there.
Things feel a bit different for Kadri so far in the early parts of his first postseason in Colorado, and he’s tried to silence many of his doubters throughout the season. But if you listen close enough, you can still hear the faint chatter that emanates from his old home in the self-proclaimed “hockey capital of the world.” He hears it. He knows it. Now he feels he has something to prove.
“There’s definitely a chip on my shoulder, for sure. That’s pretty accurate,” Kadri said of his reputation. “I try not to think about it too much and just play my game and just try to help my team win.”
He’s done that, and he’s exceeded expectations so far in the Avs first series. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar called Nazem Kadri “their best player” after Game 1, in which he scored the series-opening, game-winning goal en route to a 3-0 shutout of the Arizona Coyotes. In Game 4, Kadri added two more goals and an assist in the Avalanche’s 7-1 dismantling of Arizona.
Now, through four playoff games with the Avalanche, Kadri has a share of the team’s point lead with Nathan MacKinnon, while leading the team with four goals in four games.
Through 19 career postseason games across his 10 years in Toronto, Kadri tallied just three goals and 10 points, while tacking on 56 penalty minutes.
That time spent in the box, along with a couple of postseason suspensions, is the aforementioned reputation Nazem Kadri became notorious for in Toronto.
Kadri averaged about three penalty minutes per game across his postseason career in Toronto. So far in Colorado, he’s yet to account for a single minute while a member of the Avalanche playoff team.
“I just try to play as hard as I can. I know I’m more important on the ice than I am in the penalty box so I try to show a little bit of maturity and just worry about the scoresheet,” Kadri said after his three-point performance in Game 4.
If you’ve watched this series closely, you’ll see the Coyotes are keying in on Nazem Kadri. By now, everyone knows what kind of hot-headed player Kadri is — or was — and I’m sure a few members of Arizona are also aware of his penalty-ridden playoff past. Throughout Game 4, Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson was trying his hardest to bait Kadri to fall back into his “Toronto ways,” so to speak. But a more mature Kadri didn’t react much to it and didn’t let them get inside his head despite a few questionable cross checks and unnecessary jabs thrown his way by Ekman-Larsson.
“We just exchanged some words, I feel like he gave me a couple extra shots that were unnecessary and I just felt like I had to let him know about it. That’s just part of the game and it’s something I’m always gonna be around,” Kadri said of Ekman-Larsson’s antics. “That’s part of my job, to just kind of irritate and get under people’s skin — I think I’ve kind of figured that out the last few years. The important part is just staying composed and staying out of the box.”
So far Kadri has been arguably the Avs’ best player in the series, and he’s been relatively consistent throughout. There have been a couple hiccups, however, and Kadri would even admit to that. Coach Bednar said he had a few conversations about it with his second-line center over the last week.
“I have a high standard set for him and he does for himself as well. We had a couple conversations. He was OK in Game 2 and probably a little worse in Game 3 and we knew that he’s a guy that can help drive our team,” Bednar said.
Bednar revealed he had another conversation the morning of Game 4 with Kadri about what he wanted to see out of his top-six center and his linemates. Kadri took it to heart and knew he could do better. No ego attached, no more baggage…just the man in the mirror.
“I just try to come to play and compete every single night. That’s what good pros do. I just felt like I didn’t have my best game (in Game 3), so I just wanted to give it everything I had,” Kadri said.
“It was a big step forward from the last two games,” Bednar said of Kadri’s Game-4 performance. “Equally as good or better than Game 1, when I thought he was our best player. He’s just a guy that can finish like that and score those big goals for you and still check and do all the right things on the defensive side is important. That added depth is key.”
Nazem Kadri’s forged a new reputation with the Avalanche, and it’s a far cry from his past that those in Toronto will be quick to point out to you. Kadri, and the depth he provides, might just prove to be that key piece that the Avs were missing in their championship puzzle.
“What I think we were missing a little bit was a really sound centerman in our lineup, along with a guy that can drive a line, and that’s Naz to a T,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “He’s a great player for us…You know all of his intangibles.”
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and Colorado’s cashing in on Toronto’s scraps. Kadri brings leadership and hard-nosed effort night-in and night-out and he’s admired by the coaching staff and his teammates for it.
“He brings some swag to our team. He’s a fun guy to be around. He’s confident, he’s a great teammate,” MacKinnon added. “Every facet of the game helps our team and he’s having a great playoff so far and we wouldn’t be here without him.”
For Nazem Kadri, he mentioned early in the season how he appreciates the fact that he’s not recognized much when he goes out in Denver, at least not as much when compared to the spotlight that burned brightly on him almost at all times while he was in Toronto. The casualness of the Avalanche’s approach and allowing Kadri to be himself is really what’s made all the difference in his game this season.
“I think all the kudos belongs to the team. They just opened up their locker room and have been making me feel at home since Day 1,” Kadri said after Game 4. “I think they’ve done a great job of that, just embracing my play and who I am off the ice.
“The team and the organization have accepted me and just kind of allowed me to do what I do best. That’s something that’s much appreciated.”