Nazem Kadri

**Nazem Kadri** (born Nazem Samir Kadri on October 6, 1990 in London, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL.

Kadri was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

### Early Playing Career

Nazem grew up playing minor hockey for the London Jr. Knights of the MHAO's AAA Pavilion League.

He was a key member of MHAO championship teams at the Peewee, Bantam and Minor Midget levels before moving onto the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the 2006–07 season.

Nazem participated in the 2003 All-Ontario Peewee Championships in Markham, Ontario, Canada as well as the 2005 All-Ontario Bantam Championships in Thunder Bay.

### Junior

Kadri began his OHL career with the Kitchener Rangers after being selected in the first round (18th overall) of the 2006 OHL Priority Selection. During his second season in the OHL, he played 68 games, recording 25 goals and 40 assists (65 points).

During that year's playoffs, he helped the Rangers to an OHL Championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup final, where they lost to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL)

After the 2007–08 season, Nazem was traded to the London Knights (his hometown team) in exchange for several draft picks. He played in 56 games for the Knights in 2008–09, recording 25 goals and 53 assists (78 points). He was sidelined during the 2008–09 season when he suffered a broken jaw.

Nazem was selected to play for Team OHL in the ADT Canada Russia Challenge, but was unable to participate due to the jaw injury. He was later invited to the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team's selection camp for the 2009 World Junior Championships but did not make the final roster.

Also during the 2008–09 season, he was chosen to play in the OHL All-Star Classic, where he suited-up for the Western Conference and scored one goal.

After the 2008–09 OHL season, Nazem was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the club on July 6, 2009.

After being cut from the Maple Leafs, he returned to play for the Knights in the OHL. He was selected to play for Team OHL in the 2009 Subway Super Series (renamed from the ADT Canada Russia Challenge).

He was also selected to represent the Western Conference in the 2009–10 OHL All-Star Classic, his second appearance in the OHL's All-Star Game in as many seasons.

On March 30, 2010, Nazem was named the CHL Player of the Week after recording nine points (two goals and seven assists) in three games. The OHL named him the league's Player of the Month for April 2010, a month in which he recorded 26 points (9 goals and 17 assists) in 10 games.

### Professional

**Toronto Maple Leafs**

Nazem attended training camp with the Maple Leafs prior to the 2009–10 season. He played in six pre-season games with the club, in which he recorded three goals and two assists.

Then-Toronto head coach Ron Wilson had said prior to training camp that he would need to be one of the team's top-six forwards to make the club; he was ultimately returned to the Knights prior to the start of the NHL regular season.

Due to injuries to forwards Christian Hanson and Fredrik Sjostrom, Nazem was called-up to the Maple Leafs under an emergency basis, making his NHL debut on February 8, 2010, against the San Jose Sharks. He did not register any points and finished with a −1 plus-minus rating. He later returned to the London Knights following the game.

Ron Wilson said that he would most likely be with the Maple Leafs for the 2010–11 season, though this was in doubt after comments made by both Wilson and then-Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke during the pre-season, indicating that Kadri had not played to the level they expected and was "running out of time" to prove himself. In addition, Burke was traditionally a strong supporter of rookies gaining experience at the AHL level prior to NHL careers.

Nazem was included in the Maple Leafs' last round of cuts, and was subsequently sent to the AHL's Toronto Marlies for the start of the season; however, on November 12, he was called-up by the Maple Leafs (along with fellow prospect Keith Aulie).

On November 16, in a game against the Nashville Predators, Kadri recorded his first NHL point, assisting on a goal by Kris Versteeg. Two days later, on November 18, Kadri recorded his first multi-point night with two assists in a game against the New Jersey Devils.

On March 19, 2011, against goaltender Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Nazem scored his first career NHL goal. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game in 2012.

Prior to 2012–13 season, he began training under former NHL player and Maple Leaf Gary Roberts over the summer to gain muscle and "play more explosively".

On January 19, 2013, when NHL play resumed after the 2012–13 NHL lockout cancelled much of the first half of the scheduled regular season, Nazem made the starting roster for the Maple Leafs in their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens.

Nazem would score the first Maple Leafs goal of the season with a powerplay mark assisted by Phil Kessel against goaltender Carey Price. He finished the game named the game's first star.

One month later, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he had his first NHL fight, engaging with Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman. With the Maple Leafs losing 4–1 late in the game, Hedman delivered a cross-check to the back of Nazem, who then confronted the 6'6" defenceman. Punches were then exchanged before teammates and officials broke up the fight. On February 28, in a 5–4 win against the New York Islanders, he scored his first career hat-trick.

On March 30, he scored his second career hat-trick, and second of the season, in a 4–0 win over the Ottawa Senators. He would finish the season with 18 goals and 26 assists, finishing second only to Phil Kessel for the team lead in points and goals.

On May 4, Nazem scored his first Stanley Cup playoff point, recording an assist on a goal by Kessel after he sprung him on a breakaway. On May 13, he scored his first playoff goal against the Boston Bruins in Game 7 during the third period.

On September 11, 2013, he signed a new two-year, $5.8 million contract with Toronto. On November 13, 2013, he delivered an elbow to the head of Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Bäckström. As a result, the NHL's Department of Player Safety issued him a three-game suspension.

During the 2013–14 season, his first full 82-game season, he set career-highs in goals (20) and points (50).

Nazem was suspended twice during the 2014–15 season, the first internally by the organization for showing up late to a team practice; he received a three-game suspension. One week later, he was suspended by the NHL: he received four games for illegally checking Edmonton Oilers forward Matt Fraser in the head.

Despite these setbacks, he recorded 39 points in 73 games to lead all Toronto centres in goals. In the subsequent off-season, he signed a new one-year, $4.1 million contract with Toronto.

On April 1, 2016, he was fined $5,000 by the NHL for his second and third diving infractions of the season. The first came March 12 against the Ottawa Senators and the second March 21 against the Calgary Flames;

On April 4, 2016, Nazem was again suspended by the NHL after he delivered a cross-check to the head of Detroit Red Wings centre Luke Glendening. He received a four-game suspension for the incident, effectively ending his season, and as a repeat offender under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, he was also fined $200,000.

Despite these misdemeanours, Nazem's play throughout the season was strongly praised by Leafs management, most notably head coach Mike Babcock and general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Further, he was heavily praised for his penalty drawing abilities; although he was always complimented on this skill, it received much more media attention this season, with he setting a league-leading best 49 penalties drawn during the season.

Additionally, Nazem led the Maple Leafs in various offensive categories, including points (45) and assists (28). On April 13, 2016, following the conclusion of Toronto's season, he signed a new six-year, $27 million contract with the team.

On January 23, 2017, in a game against the Calgary Flames, he scored his 100th career NHL goal.

During the Maple Leafs' first-round series with the Washington Capitals in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, Nazem played approximately 95 minutes of ice time throughout the series when Toronto were at even strength to help push the series to six games. He ended the series with two points, a goal and an assist, in six games as Toronto were eliminated.

During the 2017–18 season, he scored his fourth career NHL hat-trick in a 6–3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 14, 2018.

During Toronto's first-round series in the 2018 playoffs against the Boston Bruins, he was suspended three games for a hit on Tommy Wingels in Game 1. Toronto lost the series in seven games.

During Toronto's first-round series against Boston in the 2019 playoffs, Nazem was suspended for the remainder of the first round for cross-checking Jake DeBrusk in Game 2. The Maple Leafs lost the series in seven games.

**Colorado Avalanche**

On July 1, 2019, Nazem (along with Calle Rosén and a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft) was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot and a sixth-round pick in 2020.

## Career Statistics

### International

 2014 | Canada | WC | 5th
 Junior totals
 Senior totals

## International Play

Nazem played for Team Ontario at the 2007 Canada Winter Games, where they won a gold medal. He first represented Canada at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament where the team finished fourth.

He was invited to Canada's selection camp for the 2010 World Junior Championships held in Regina, Saskatchewan. After being cut in 2009, he was selected to represent Canada in 2010.

In Canada's preliminary round game against the United States, he was one of the players selected for the shootout, scoring on goaltender Jack Campbell to help Canada secure the victory.

During the tournament, Nazem recorded three goals and five assists. During the tournament, he attracted attention for his refusal to shake hands with Switzerland's Nino Niederreiter after their semi-final game.

Nazem did not elaborate on the specifics of what caused his refusal, but did absolve Niederreiter of using an ethnic slur: "Obviously, in big games like that, guys tend to lose their composure a bit, but I didn't take offence to anything he said. It was just that I felt like I didn't have to shake his hand."

He later had second thoughts about his refusal, stating, "I regret it a little bit."

During the gold medal game against the United States, Nazem had two assists including one on Jordan Eberle's game-tying goal with 1:35 left in the third period; however, Canada lost the game in overtime, leaving him and his teammates with the silver medal.

## Personal Life

Nazem is the son of Sam and Sue Kadri. He has four sisters: Yasmine, Reema, Sabrine and Rayanne. He is named after his grandfather. Sam moved to Canada from the small town of Kfar Danis, Lebanon.

Nazem is Muslim and says that he has never had any problems on the ice with "trash talk" about his religious beliefs.

He was the first Muslim drafted by the Maple Leafs and the highest drafted Muslim in NHL history until being surpassed by 2012 first overall pick Nail Yakupov. He is the fourth player of Lebanese descent to play in the NHL (following John Hanna, Alain Nasreddine and Ed Hatoum).

In high school, Nazem served as a member of his school's Muslim Student Association. He grew up as a Montreal Canadiens fan under the influence of his father, who was drawn to the team following his immigration to Canada.