Trainer on Leafs' Nazem Kadri: 'He's in the best physical shape of his career'

Nazem Kadri has something to prove, and he's going to make sure he's in good enough shape to do just that.

Kadri has been working out "five days a week, sometimes twice a day" in London, Ont. with trainer Spero Mantzavrakos, according to Jared Clinton of The Hockey News. Mantzavrakos has worked with NHL stars Corey Perry and Jeff Carter in the past.

"I think he's in the best physical shape of his career at this point, and it's still early," Mantzavrakos told Clinton. "Nazem's a highly skilled player and he's always worked. I want to set the record straight with that. But what he's done now is he has basically taken a more aggressive approach to (his fitness) and he's dedicating his life to it. He sees the importance, he sees where he's at in his career and he really wants to add some more speed and mobility to his game."

The 24-year-old forward recently signed a one-year, $4.1-million deal, signifying that the Maple Leafs want to see more out of their former first-round pick before committing to him long-term.

With the added gym work, Mantzavrakos expects a new Kadri next season when he'll be heavily relied upon for offense by a team missing its leading scorer from last season, Phil Kessel.

"(Everyone will see) a lot more consistency come second, third periods and midseason and on. That's the key," Mantzavrakos said. "The thing for Nazem is that he's going to be in such better shape now that he'll just be able to keep going. I think he's going to log more minutes and he's going to be able to recover quicker between games."

And in case you're wondering just how much of a difference the extra time at the gym has made, check out Kadri's latest upload to his Instagram account, where he jumps 31 inches to the top of a platform.