The Toronto Maple Leafs supplied the keys; where Nazem Kadri takes his career is up to him.
Maple Leafs assistant general manager Kyle Dubas reiterated Friday that the team expects Kadri to determine his long-term value on the ice this season, and won't be surprise if it results in them opening the MLSE vault.
"(Mike Babcock) expects him to be an elite player, he expects him to reach his potential, and if he does that he's going to play a ton and he's going to score a lot … he'll have the chance to take us to the bank," Dubas said in an interview with Sportsnet 590.
"If he reaches his potential, we'll be happy to pay him," he added.
Though he appears to have the confidence of the organization, Leafs brass weren't inclined to buy low on their player. Kadri's stock tumbled last season, his worst full season as a professional, after a tidy 20-goal, 50-point campaign in the first year in the "bridge" process.
He signed a one-year, $4.1-million agreement on July 5.
