Prime Time Pressure

Could it be more than artificial chaos if for the second straight year 7th round pick Nazim Kadri fails to impose a substancial effort in order to obtain the righteous approval from both Ron Wilson and Brian Burke himself?

To be honest i don't disagree with the hesitant nature of the Toronto Maple Leafs club in retaining the services of Nazim until he is able to put a dent in this team, but patience is running thin and time is running out for this kid. If Nazim is unable to crack the lineup this year, it will start to implicate a state of high alert, now Brain's draft pick is under developing, and the game plan will start to shift.  A game plan that includes the surrounding nature of a couple top six forwards that have been rumored to come via trade, but with Kadri's struggles in defensive play, and to see another draft pick go to waste would be uncanny, it would mean that the focus of attention would then again be on the desired attempt to draft a highly skilled individual through the draft.  One problem thought, Toronto does not have the luxury of valuable draft picks at this point.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Nazim Kardri lacing up the skates along side fellow Toronto Marlies affiliate players this season, the NHL is a 2-way game, and players that struggle to adapt to the defensive nature of the game often fail, even if a forward struggles to score goals, strong defensive awareness can keep their careers alive, and Kardri has yet to show signs of either aspects for the leafs.  Pretty shootout goals and confident gestures in the media only go so far as to obtain the status quo in a market like Toronto, here its about the results, something this city has seen very little of over the past 5 seasons of hockey.

Truth be told, many players fail in a market like this, for those who succeed, it takes great ability to not necessarily exceed expectations, but to alter ones opinions of what they expect of you, by playing true to your game and adapting to the environment that your in.  This will be a substantial learning curve for Kadri, one he will carry with him throughout his career, and we as fans wait patiently to see the uprising of Nazim to take this team to the next level.  Is he truly a Brian Burke type of player? well i certainly believe so, he is very savvy and plays with an edge which always comes in handy.  Much will depend on his learning ability, the coaching staff are working tirelessly to bring together an adaptive environment for their players, in order to implement a game plan that everyone can take part in.  That goes for Kadri and every other young player on the team to step up and accept that kind of responsibility.

Consistancy is a word thrown around a lot in sports, and in this case, is used with great intentions.  Pre-season hockey is a mere footnote of the expectations and desirable intentions of the regular season, if Nazim is going to make an impression on this team, it will have to be a lasting one, because as we all know just because our in the line-up on opening night, doesn't mean you will be in the lineup in game 2.  Because lets face it, if Sidney Crosby had troubles fighting consistency in his game, would he have become the poster boy for this great sport? a recognizable figure seen throughout the world? absolutely not, you build up the character in your game that you take fourth with you throughout your career. Faltering out of character will bring fourth a change in ones consistency and that's something that Kadri will have to improve upon before his big break comes with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"we are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it"- the game changes quickly, one can subdue to the nature of others expectations, but it comes down to the desires of that individual to really put fourth a valuable outcome.   On that note i say good luck Nazim, hope to see you in the lineup come season opener!