Nazem Kadri - the right pick in 2009

[Dobber]

I found this an interesting and well-researched piece. And yes, I think he was the right pick. Maybe O'Reilly or Kreider would have been better, but the Leafs needed a fella with high-end offensive upside in their system.


http://thehockeywriters.com/nazem-ka...-pick-in-2009/

[yougo]

I found this an interesting and well-researched piece. And yes, I think he was the right pick. Maybe O'Reilly or Kreider would have been better, but the Leafs needed a fella with high-end offensive upside in their system.


http://thehockeywriters.com/nazem-ka...-pick-in-2009/

I was at the draft at that time, and I actually had Toronto take MPS, Dallas with Ryan Ellis and Kadri with the Sens on my mock draft.

O'Reilly would still have been a better pick than Kadri, but other than that it was a nice pick by Burke. I still think MPS would have been great with the Leafs.

[marshal]

Good piece and I'd agree that it is well-researched. With Kadri, I consider two things when wondering if he was the right pick. Firstly, based on his comments and attitude, he has a lot of maturing to do. I think the criticism offered by Eakins to him a couple years back was blown out of proportion, but his personality seems to be one of someone who is too confident and can be childish at times. Him making a smartass comment to one of Carlyle's questions during an episode of 24/7 was a bit of an eye-opener.
Secondly, him holding out for almost the entire summer regarding his contract status didn't really sit well in terms of long-termed visions of him with the Leafs. He expected a ridiculous extension based on one good half-season. After witnessing Kessel, Phaneuf and Clarkson sign their lucrative, long-term deals with the Leafs, I have a strong suspicion that Kadri's contract expectations have only increased significantly.
Frankly, I'm not sure that Kadri will be a Leaf in the long-term. He's probably going to want somewhere in the area of $6.5M a season every 5-8 years which is a LOT for a player who still has something to prove.

[Darren_Kennedy]

It's funny, at the time I really wanted them to take Magnus Paajarvi - thinking that he would be the size they needed up front. Of course today it isn't really that close, Kadri seems to have a lot of more upside and has had a more significant impact.