Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri drink Lou's Kool-Aid, ink six-year deals

While the Toronto Maple Leafs have cleaned out their roster like it’s an old garage filled with squirrels’ nests and back issues of The Hockey News, it’s important to remember there are some foundational pieces already in place for the rebuild. 

One of them is defenseman Morgan Rielly. Apparently another is center Nazem Kadri. Both were pending restricted free agents, and both signed six-year contract extensions on Wednesday.

From the Leafs:

Rielly, 22, led all Maple Leafs defencemen with a career-high 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) while skating in all 82 games this year. The native of Vancouver, British Columbia also led the team with 23:13 of average ice time per game. Since entering the league in 2013-14, the fifth overall selection in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft has collected 92 points (19 goals, 73 assists) in 236 regular season games. Rielly was named to Team Canada’s roster for the 2016 IIHF World Championship earlier this week.

Kadri, 25, led the Maple Leafs with 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 76 games this season. In parts of seven NHL seasons, the London, Ontario native has registered 197 points (81 goals, 116 assists) and 207 penalty minutes in 326 regular season games. Kadri was originally selected by the Maple Leafs with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

There’s a term used back in Lou Lamoriello’s days in New Jersey called “Drinking Lou’s Kool-Aid” with regard to players taking less to play on his teams. Elliotte Freidman reports that Rielly has a $5 million cap hit and Kadri has a $4.5 million hit. That’s … fantastic? Especially when you’re gobbling up a few UFA years for Kadri. (There’s also limited no-trade protection.) 

That’s a lot of Kool-Aid.

Rielly passed a significant test this season for the Leafs. When Dion Phaneuf and Roman Polak were traded, Rielly’s ice time saw a significant increase in ice time this season, including a 31-minute marathon against the Detroit Red Wings on March 13.

As for Kadri … well, the majority of Leafs fans and media will no doubt celebrate the deal, but there’s a loud group of critics regarding Kadri has a Leafs centerpiece.

On the plus side, Andrew Berkshire writes that Kadri’s shot volume is a significant asset:

Kadri has demonstrated the skill to get shots on net at a high volume, the next step is to pick his spots a little bit better. If Kadri can change his shooting pattern, even slightly, and maintain the volume he produced in 2015-16, it’s possible he could push 30 goals in the future.

That’s a rare talent in the NHL these days, especially when you already know the player is decent on the defensive side and drives possession effectively. At 25 years old, the Leafs would be smart to take a risk and go long-term with Kadri, who looks like an ideal option as a second-line centre for a contending team.

Rachel Halliwell of Editor In Leaf, however, things Kadri’s intangibles aren’t in keeping with the Leafs’ youth movement:

Kadri is not a leader. He is not a franchise player. If he signs a big deal he becomes both of those things. Imagine sending Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Dmytro Timashov into the Leafs locker room, pointing at Kadri and saying ‘be like that guy.’ I am not comfortable with that. Be like the guy that gets fined for diving and suspended for not being able to keep his cool. Be like the guy who is incredibly inconsistent. No thank you.

(Hey, it’s not diving, it’s ‘drawing penalties!’)

I like the Kadri deal. As Stephen Burtch notes, his underlying numbers rival those of Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly, and if you can lock that in for a reasonable price, you should.

If the Leafs get lucky, they get Auston Matthews and Kadri up the gut to start next season. That’s not bad. And if it is, you move Kadri and his very portable cap hit.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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