Toronto Maple Leafs: Nazem Kadri steps up with Auston Matthews injured
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost Auston Matthews to a shoulder injury but Nazem Kadri was able to fill the void and lead the comeback against the Winnipeg Jets.
Seeing the reaction on Auston Matthews’ face after colliding with Jacob Trouba wasn’t something the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to see this early in the season.
Luckily for them, there aren’t many teams who have Nazem Kadri as their third line centre as he was able to fill in for Matthews and kickstart the third-period comeback as they were able to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2.
It was a flip of the script compared to Wednesday evening where the Leafs completely dominated the Jets for most of the game, Winnipeg was going to impose their will physically and hope to wear out Toronto. Unfortunately, this didn’t keep the Leafs offence off the scoresheet as they exploded for three goals including two in 26 seconds.
This isn’t the first time Matthews has had to deal with a shoulder injury as he was injured back in February but according to head coach Mike Babcock this wasn’t the same shoulder as last time.
Is Babcock concerned that Matthews has history of shoulder injuries?
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 28, 2018
"It's the not the same shoulder (as last year). He did his work this summer, got way stronger, built muscle around his shoulder joints to protect himself. Sometimes things happen."
It helps the Leafs coach that reuniting Kadri with Mitch Marner and Patrick Marleau had an impact when the team needed but the obvious concern is with Mathews injury. Babcock has already ruled him out for Monday’s game against the Calgary Flames but after that is still up in the air.
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Not having William Nylander doesn’t make this easier but hopefully seeing the team rally together in the third period wasn’t just a one-off. There will be some line juggling but an opportunity for players to show that they can handle the absence of the team’s top offensive player.
Kadri has picked up his game offensively scoring in two straight games after he struggled to get on the board in the first nine games of the season. Leafs fans understand that Kadri is a luxury as the team’s third line centre and Saturday night’s performance was a reminder of that.
Whether the Leafs make any roster moves remains to be seen, but at least the team can move Par Lindholm to play on the third line and put Andreas Johnsson back in the lineup.
Last season, the Leafs had to get creative playing both Marleau and Nylander at centre in order to make up for the absence of Matthews but hopefully, they’re better prepared this time around.
Next. Leafs prospect update: Rasmus Sandin scores in debut. dark
What did you make of Kadri’s performance against the Jets with Matthews gone? How concerned are you about Matthews’ injury? Let us know in the comments below.