Here We Go Again

You'd think Ron Wilson would learn from the Luke Schenn experience.

Keeping teenagers in the NHL is a tricky business, fraught with peril. Yet there was Wilson yesterday essentially saying he wants Nazem Kadri on the Leaf roster next fall.

He didn't say Kadri must earn a roster position and beating out older more experienced players like Tyler Bozak, John Mitchell, Christian Hanson and Mikhail Grabovski.

He didn't say Kadri better be ready to fight for a spot. He didn't say what Leaf management believes, that Kadri better come to camp in superior condition and play well or he'll find himself back in London next fall.

It was Wilson who said Schenn was ready, and two years later you have a former fifth overall pick of uncertain value. Schenn never should have stayed in the NHL as an 18-year-old, but Wilson saw he was better than what he otherwise had.

That's why you don't let coaches make calls on teenagers. As coaches, they necessarily think short term.

If Kadri isn't forced to earn a position, you get right back into this circle of self-entitlement that the Leafs were supposed to be trying to exorcise from the organization.

Wilson's words put him in direct conflict with the front office, particularly when he now says he would have preferred to go with a much younger team last fall. He's second guessing Brian Burke and Co., and already setting the stage for next fall when, if the team doesn't do well, he can say he's doing the best he can with a 19-year-old at the No. 1 centre spot.

Kadri should only be a Leaf next fall if he's truly ready, and really, if Bozak and Hanson and Viktor Stalberg had to spend time in the minors this season, why couldn't Kadri spend another year in junior if that was best for his development.

Got a feeling this could be a tricky issue next fall.

Comments

[other mark]

Kadri was a no show against the Kitchener Rangers. He was plus 3 in the first game and a minus nine the rest of the way. In the 7th game, he looked like a one dimensional player that every player on the Rangers knew how to handle. He looked particularly aweful on the power play. I have to agree with Damien; Kadri isn't ready for the NHL.

[D-Man]

He is also eligible for AHL play after four years of junior. Might serve him better.

[Max]

This article should be titled "Meeting One's Quotas".
As in this is typical & pointless, hand-wringing & teeth gnashing, Maple Leaf navel gazing slop. You can put that on a t-shirt Cox.

Schenn had a great rookie year & to say otherwise is absurd. And after a rough beginning, he was fine this past year. You're the only one in a panic at this great 'uncertain' quantity.

If Kadri gains weight & is stronger & earns his spot - he'll make the club & deservedly so. What is wrong about saying he 'wants' the kid on the team? I think EVERYONE wants him to be a contributing player because he's clearly skills & potential.

It's not worth getting bent out of shape at this point.

[The Law]

I think you're reading too much into what Wilson said. Wilson, Burke and Nonis have all made comments on Kadri recently and they've all been consistent in stating that he has to earn a spot on the team. Yes they've all suggested that they "expect" him to make the team but that's much different then suggesting he's on the team. They expect him to work hard this summer and to have a great camp and if he does then he makes the team. By the way if he does make the team ...he'd play the season as a 20 year old not as a teenager.

[Ed Hussman]

What was wrong with Schenn at seasons end? The only problem with Schenn earlier was that Wilson made the same mistake with him as he did by not keeping Bozak in the NHL lineup. He should have been playing his 20 minutes a night all season long and not sitting in the press box during a learning phase. I could also list all of the successful first year players including Matt Duchene to disprove your development theory but hey. Why?

[Peter Robinson]

Mr. Cox raises a good point about Kadri. The reality is that he's only looked like an elite junior for half of this season. But he keeps on repeating the same mantra about Schenn. He WAS NOT 18 last year when he was kept with the Leafs (he turned 19 shortly after training camp ended). As a late birthday, sending him back would have been his fourth year of junior and a fair argument could be made he had gone as far as he could in junior (when Buffalo sent his former D partner Tyler Myers back, it was Myers third year of junior). The Leafs thinking is much the same with Kadri - how far can he go to play another year (his fourth) of junior? Or is it better to be with the big club? With Schenn, the choice was obvious because he earned a spot in camp. The same standard should be used with Kadri (as Mr. Cox suggests).

[Peter Robinson]

Clarification to my previous comment: Kadri has already played four years of junior, next year would be an overage, fifth season (which is probably why Wilson made the remarks he did yesterday). He's more likely to end up with the Marlies if the Leafs don't keep him.

[Jeff M]

Kadri cannot go back to London as this is his last year of junior, unless a first rounder who played in the World Juniors and averaged way over a point a game in the OHL gets sent back to junior as an overage player, which I don't believe has ever been done before.

[Sam]

Ok so Mr. Cox, where is talent couldn't come from if you don't dip into your draft picks? Waiting 2 or 3 years is fine if your roster is deep with talent, but that's not the case with the Leafs. Ron Wilson showed what system he can bring with talent during the Olympic game .. and essentially your telling him not to use it. So you gonna give him a free pass next season when he's coaching the same mediocre roster again?

[snacker]

This is a young man's game these days...look around the league and you can see the amount of youngsters contributing to their teams. I'd rather see what a young hungry kid can do rather than keep overpaying and giving chances to older guys who are washed up and can't skate with all these young legs. All this talk of being too young and hindering development is ludicrous. Lets see what this kid can do - playing in London again won't help him. Even the Marlies seems like a pointless endeavor when he's probably ready to battle in the show. I say go with the kids and see what happens. This team has enough 'veteran' 3rd liners and have had enough for them for years!!! Look where that got us.

[Devil's Advocate]

I don't know Cox, I think you might be reaching a bit here. I think Kadri knows full well that he needs to impress to make the team. I don't think there are any promises other than to give him an opportunity to be a top 6 forward. Perhaps its a vote of confidence and and a bit of encouragement as well as setting a goal for the kid. On Schenn, I still think I'd rather him play at a tougher level against men than play below his weight class. Sure he had hard times this year, but instead of focusing on the bump in the road, why not look at how far he has come since the start of the season. He has so much poise with the puck and can lay the body better than most, he's blocking shots, and his offensive game is starting to show signs of life. Above all of this I think the reason he was ready for the show was his positive attitude through his sophmore slump. From what I heard reported he was among the first on the ice and last off at practices. I am happy with how Schen has developed so far and I'm not sure he would be further along if he spent another year in Jr. If the Leaf brass think Kadri is ready play in the NHL, I would be comfortable. If he spends some time with the Marlies along the way, I wouldn't be suprised. But he has proven that he can dominate Jr and went nuts in the playoffs scoring 9 goals and 27 pts in 12 games. I have no clue what sending him back to Jr would do to benefit his game. But I do see how his words conflict with the "sense of entitlement" issues that Burke has been trying to rid the team of.

[Devil's Advocate]

By the way I was listening to Wilson speak on Hockeycentral at noon and when asked if Kadri is penciled in to make the leafs next year he said: Ya I have him penciled in, I have a lot of them penciled in, but it's just pencil, it's not ink and they all know that. He also specifically spoke about the sense of entitlement issue briefly wanting to continue to have all the players competing for their spots.

[rod]

Cox is right. But Burke won't let that happen. Just look at Bobby Ryan. Kadri will have to be better than Bozak, Gravoski, Mitchell, and whoever else Burke bring in if he wants to play right off the bat. Otherwise, if he doesn't prove to deserve to be on the first or 2nd line, he's going to the Marlies, regardless of what Wilson thinks.

[Chris]

I agree with you Cox but I think it's a motivational tool by Wilson. He can't say that Kadri won't be on the team. He has to make Kadri believe he has a shot so he commits to his off season training. Kadri is not NHL ready. I know there are some who believe differently because Kadri had a good pre-season and dominated boys in junior but the fact is that he's not ready to be a full time NHLer yet. He's got the offensive gift that very few players have but other aspects of his game need major improvement especially defence. The best place to learn this is the AHL next year where he can play against grown men, learn to play defence, learn to kill penalties and learn to play on the power play. He also needs to put on size; not so he can lay guys out but so he can survive 82 games agaisnt grown men. The muscle factor has to do with effectively winning puck battles and baattling for space but also is equally important for injury prevention. It's not so much the weight but the muscle mass and fitness levels. If Kadri plays at 165 next year and Shea Weber pastes him into the end boards he'll get injured and then won't play at all and his development will be slowed that much more. Step one is for Kadri to come into Camp at 180 pounds minimum. Step two is for Kadri to spend half the season in the AHL learning the pro game. Step 3 is up to Kadri; dominate at the AHL level while proving you are defensively responsible and you get called up. Until you can do that, you stay down. I really hope Burke gets a #1 centre so Bozak can be 2nd line and Kadri will be in the minors. I agree with Cox in that he could be ruined by being rushed. I also don't think that Schenn's value is in question. He's 20 years old. Duncan Keith didn't even play an NHL game until he was 23. Schenn's got a long way to go and defence is much harder to learn than forward which is why Bogosian is struggling and Pieterangelo is still in junior. As for Doughty, he's about as rare as a Crosby and is one of the best defencemen in the NHL at age 20. He's the exception; Schenn is the rule.

[Marcus]

Umm.. RW and BB already have said all this..

Nonis was on Leafs Lunch and also said that Kadri is 'pencilled in' for a spot but he has to earn it.

Get your facts straight.

[drake richards]

Damien, Wilson never said he was holding a spot for Kadri on the team next year. All he said was that in his heart, he'd like to see Kadri make the team. Wilson has repeatedly said Kadri has to be physically ready and to earn his spot on the team. It was Wilson who sent him to junior this year after a good camp becasue Kadri "was not ready". Stop creating controversy where there is none.

[adam]

How does the NHL hinder a young player's development? By showing them how big fast and strong the rest of the players are and forcing them to adapt their game/fitness/strength accordingly? Do you really think that Schenn would have started this season as the next coming of Adam Foote if he'd played for the Rockets or Marlies last year?

The only way the NHL hinders development is when the youngster isn't good enough relative to the rest of the team to get enough ice time to improve their game. If Kadri can't centre the 1st or 2nd line next year, he should be playing 1st line with the Marlies.

[Christo]

I think they should get him in the lineup for the beginning of next year, the best way for him to adjust to the nhl game is through experience. The Leafs need change.

[Michael J. Taylor]

Nazem Kadri will be 20 in October.

What's so earth shattering about a 20 year old to be making a living in today's NHL?

[Badge]

Come on Cox...I know you love to twist words to suit your arguement, but Wilson did NOT say Kadri has a guaranteed spot. The quote on this website was “In my heart, I believe Nazem Kadri will be a part of this team, right from the get-go next year,” said Wilson.

Key there is "In My Heart..." meaning he believes he will make it, but he still has to make it. Otherwise he would have said "Kadri will be our #1 center next year." He's not guaranteeing anything. He's challenging him.

[Jay Mehta]

I would believe you Cox, I really would. But there's a reason he's a coach and you're a news reporter. When your name is "Coach Cox", give me a call.

[Phredd]

The dust hasn't settled on the Regular Season and here we go talking about next year. I realize that this is a Toronto paper, but must we have All Leafs, All the Time? Burke will say something amusing at the World Championships and be front page news, Phaneuf will record more music for his Ipod and be front page news. We are 5-6 months away from training camp. Let's wait till then to worry about the starting roster.

[jerry jordan]

cox, if he earns a spot he should play. during training camp half the guys that scored most of the goals were sent down to the minors, the training camp this year was totaly useless, doing good meant nothing , the team was already prepicked. what about tavares and matt duschene? not bad for teenagers. let khadri get his feet wet.

[John Mitchell]

I have never agreed with the argument that returning Luke Schenn to junior last season would have been better for his development. Management and the coaching staff made it clear that Schenn would have to earn a spot as a top four defencemen in order to make the club, and Schenn did just that. Despite his first half struggles, Schenn finished this season in strong fashion and his development is moving forward, not backward. It sounds like Kadri is going to be given a similar opportunity. Kadri will have to prove that he is ready to be the team's number one, or number two centre. If not, they will send him somewhere (AHL, London) to continue to work on his game.

[brian]

I think he means Cox he will get a chance, it is up to him to get bigger in the summer. He will have his camp but most likely like Bozak, Hanson and Stalberg will start in the AHL.
All Wilson is doing is giving the kid some encouragement there is nothing wrong with that . Cox sometimes you have to read between the lines.