Nazem Kadri ? who did not score in 17 games with the Leafs this season ? will be assigned to the Marlies to work on his overall game and physical strength.
LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STARThe Leafs didn?t exactly return Nazem Kadri to the Toronto Marlies Wednesday with an assuring pat on the back.
?It was a bit bitter, but at the same time that?s the way it is,? Kadri said Wednesday night just prior to the Marlies game at Ricoh Coliseum.
Kadri was referring to a meeting Tuesday with Leafs assistant GM Dave Poulin and fellow assistant and Marlies GM Claude Loiselle. The pair of executives sent him out the door with a fair but stern set of instructions regarding his approach to the game.
The send-off seemed borderline harsh for a 20-year-old whose star rose and fell in Toronto?s pressure-packed hockey market.
?You have to be able to take that, and I can take it,? Kadri said. ?I?ve been around hockey long enough to know how these things work. I know what I have to do to get back and I have things to work on.?
The debate will begin again over the way the Leafs have handled their 2009 first-rounder.
There are some who believe Kadri never embraced the game enough to warrant another moment?s opportunity from a Leafs franchise that had been arguably overgenerous in accommodating him this season.
From a training camp that showed little promise, to a no-goal, six-assist performance in 17 games with Toronto, Kadri struggled through an opportunity that likely would have ended earlier in another market. He must now be ?broken? ? worked and schooled at the American Hockey League level until he is ready to appear in the NHL again.
On the other hand, there?s the argument that the confident rookie should never have been brought up to the NHL.
?Obviously, I?d like to be up the whole time,? Kadri said. ?But it?s really up to them. They?ve been doing this a long time and making these decisions, and I respect that.?
Fairly or not, the Leafs might also be brought into the spotlight over what appears to be a repeat of past mistakes with high-round draft picks. Several years ago, then coach and former GM Pat Quinn told high-ranking executives the franchise ?did a great disservice? to prospects such as Carlo Colaiacovo and Justin Pogge. Both were anointed superstars before they began to prove themselves as legitimate NHLers ? and both are now long gone from the franchise.
Kadri refused to buy into the argument that too much pressure was exerted on him to be a star.
?I?m not going there, that?s an excuse,? he said. ?Sure, you start to feel it, but there?s ways around it ... you tune it out, you focus. That?s what I have to do.?
Kadri, a naturally gifted scorer with great hands and great passing skills, remained goalless despite working with the top six forwards. He was a healthy scratch in three of the club?s last four games before the final decision was made to return him to the minors.
?It?s been a bit of a struggle for him the last three to four weeks,? Leaf coach Ron Wilson said. ?We tried to get him through it up here but the best thing for him is to go to the minors ... and score at a level he can score at, and gain confidence.?
Kadri sat out Wednesday?s Marlies game and will miss one more, the result of an AHL suspension handed out just before he was recalled by the Leafs. When he hits the ice, he?ll get to work on several areas: quickness in the attack area, faceoffs, reducing turnovers and upping his compete level.
?There are certain areas of his game he needs to work on, areas that are not at the NHL level yet,? Wilson said.
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