Wilson: ''I never felt that Nazem ever listened to me''
http://www.tsn.ca/video/wilson-i-never-felt-that-nazem-ever-listened-to-me-1.230332
"...if we had drawn a hard line with him and sent him down to the minors and made an example of him early on in his career..."
This was something that caught my ear when I heard it. Kadri played 29 and then 21 NHL games in his first two seasons under Wilson. In his first season he was cut from training camp, called up in November, sent back down in January after 17 games, and then called back up in March after the deadline.
Season 2, it looked like he might make the team out of camp but injured his knee late in preseason. He played in 3 NHL games in late October after he recovered before being sent to the AHL. Stayed there until late December when he was called up and played 16 games before again being sent back down. Then he was called up for a pair of games late in the season.
The team did take a pretty tough approach towards Kadri when Wilson was his coach. That's actually something I remember a lot of people complained about. So if Wilson can't even properly describe how the team handled him I'm not going to put a lot of stock into the other things he says. He's clearly on TV because he has an axe to grind and saying these things makes for good ratings.
Fair points made on Wilson.
Upon reflection, Burke, Nonis, Eakins, Wilson, Carlyle, Horachek & Shanahan have all criticized Kadri over the years and I don't recall a good case being made that it wasn't accurate criticism.
I realize Don Cherry's position but there is a case to be made that they were not getting through otherwise ... criticism via the media is often one of the last resorts.
Gary Roberts was on a show last week (TSN?), and was discussing the Kadri situation a bit. He brought up Kadri coming to him a few summers ago to get in shape, which is the season he was criticized by Eakins for coming to camp with terrible body fat composition. His tone was interesting, along the lines of he came once and I never heard from him again.
Kadri strikes me as a guy who is being pulled in all different directions, and is a bit confused about what he actually needs to do. I wonder if a guy like Shanahan, someone who as a player would have probably been a good role model, might be able to get through to him.
If Shanahan can't get through to Kadri, then, I'm afraid no one can!
Kadri had the chance to work with Gary Roberts, and, by the sounds of it, he didn't like the work ethic Roberts promotes.
If being exposed to two great former hockey players can't motivate you to be your best, then, it may be time for the Leafs to trade Kadri for the best return possible.