The Toronto Maple Leafs' search for a No. 1 center took a step in the right direction last season with the emergence of Nazem Kadri, but is it too early to make a long-term financial commitment to the former first-round pick?
Before anyone pencils Kadri's name onto the lineup sheet for next year, his agent and Leafs general manager Dave Nonis must work out a new contract for the 21-year-old restricted free agent, a situation that will become a growing distraction if it isn't solved by the start of training camp next month.
At the moment, there is no report of the two sides being close to a deal, with Toronto having just under $4.9 million in salary cap space, per Capgeek.
When players' entry-level contracts expire, GMs are often forced to pay for potential rather than performance. It's a tough gamble to make, and the results over last few years have been mixed.
The Los Angeles Kings paid young star Drew Doughty $56 million over eight years after the 23-year-old's third NHL season. This contract, so far, has paid dividends for the Kings because Doughty played an integral part of the team's Stanley C ...
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Article written by Nicholas Goss
Should Toronto Maple Leafs Lock Up Nazem Kadri to Long-Term Deal This Offseason?
August 14th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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