Nazem Kadri Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Nazem Kadri, Kasperi Kapanen and Patrick Marleau are going to need to step up for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight in Los Angeles. The Kings are going to be looking to shut down John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman, leaving lesser lines matching up against Kadri and Co. Kadri has seven points in his last eight games which is encouraging, but with Auston Matthews still out and William Nylander remaining unsigned, the Leafs need their depth to step up.

Last season, Mitch Marner, Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau were a line that had plenty of success. With Auston Matthews hurt, Mike Babcock has elected to re-unite this line and put John Tavares with Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen rather than simply putting Kadri in Matthews' spot. Although I expect the Kadri line to have the highest ownership of any tonight, they are in the best spot on home ice and able to avoid any matchup against the Mikael Backlund line. Kadri and Marner are on the same power play unit together so a mini-stack with the two of them is in play.

Auston Matthews and John Tavares have been electric to start the season, but do not forget about Nazem Kadri. While Kadri hasn't found a goal, he does have four assists. Kadri is a nice pivot and/or compliment to the Leafs' superstar centers as Nazem centers the team's loaded, seemingly unstoppable powerplay unit. Kadri is particularly a bargain on DraftKings where he is just $4,000. Everyone knows to stack Toronto, but Nazem is the guy lurking in the shadows. In a game destined for goals from both teams, fire up Kadri in tournaments whether as a contrarian center or as part of the team stack. After all, his price has plummeted despite scoring 32 goals last season.

We know Toronto is going to score tonight, but where will it come from? Auston Matthews is the top play on the slate given his obliteration of Ottawa (11 points in 7 games) in his young career, but second line center Nazem Kadri (FanDuel - $5,600, DraftKings - $5,200) should not be slept on. Kadri has been quite streaky this season, but right now he is in the middle of another hot stretch. He did go pointless against the Nashville Predators, but prior to that he recorded points (3 goals, 5 assists) in six consecutive games. In his career, Kadri has collected 20 points (12 goals, 8 assists) in 26 career games against the Senators, and this year's version of the Senators is one of the worst teams he has faced as Ottawa is a pathetic 7-14-4 on the road. Kadri makes for an excellent target in tournaments and also a worthy companion to Auston Matthews in cash games tonight.

The Toronto Maple Leafs changed up their forward lines six games ago and they've been reaping the benefits averaging four goals per game in that period. The biggest boost has come to Nazem Kadri who had been struggling mightily before that, which included a 20 game stretch in which he scored just one goal and picked up one assist. Since then, he has three goals and eight points in the six games playing with Mitch Marner and Patrick Marleau. Although Kadri still gets the difficult matchups on home ice, playing with a creative offensive talent like Marner over Leo Komarov (who has zero offensive talent), has allowed Kadri to show his offensive side again. This line of Kadri, Marleau and Marner makes for a great line stack against a Predators team that although they have been playing well, are in for a tough matchup. With many flocking to the Auston Matthews line after they dominated the Ducks last game, Kadri, Marner and Marleau could go a bit underowned. Kadri and Marner make for a great mini-stack as well as they play on the same power play unit.

With much of the focus likely centered around Auston Matthews and the top line, Toronto's third line featuring playmakers Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, and Leo Komarov could go relatively overlooked in tournaments tonight. They draw a great matchup against a struggling Edmonton team that lacks the depth defensively to contain Toronto. Also featured on Toronto's top power play unit, Kadri and JVR should be very active on the man advantage tonight against an Edmonton penalty kill that ranks dead last in the NHL this season. In a game that should feature plenty of scoring, expect a big performance from this veteran trio.

At the time of writing this, both Auston Matthews and William Nylander are questionable. No matter if they play, Nazem Kadri is an excellent choice across all formats as his asking price is more than reasonable. Kadri is riding a four game point streak, and although he doesn’t take the most shots, he should be involved heavily tonight against a New Jersey team that has been an absolute abomination defensively on the road. The Devils sport the National Hockey League’s worst adjusted xGA/60 (2.72) at 5-on-5. Nazem has 11 points (7 goals, 4 assists) in 10 home games and likely will add to that total tonight. The Devils pounded the Leafs 6-3 more than a month ago here, so the Leafs will be looking for a little revenge. Count on Kadri to contribute tonight.

Kadri is someone who always sort of slips through the cracks because Auston Matthews is such a superstar. With Auston Matthews out tonight, someone will have to step up. Kadri quietly has 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) in 16 games and is fresh off a multi-goal game against the surprising Vegas Golden Knights. Nazem’s ice time is the lowest it has been for the last handful of years, but with the injury to ‘Papi’, Kadri should see more time on ice than usual. His price is affordable across the industry and a great way to gain exposure to a Toronto team with the highest team total for tonight’s slate.

Despite playing on the tail end of a back-to-back, I still expect the Toronto Maple Leafs and their young legs to dominate the Detroit Red Wings tonight at the Air Canada Centre, with Auston Matthews once again leading their offensive attack. Matthews is a force to be reckoned with each and every time he steps on the ice and he is quickly becoming one of the best and most consistent scorers in the National Hockey League. The Detroit Red Wings are off to a good start, but overall this is definitely a below average hockey club, and I think we see the Maple Leafs exploit that this evening. Look for Matthews to be the best player on the ice tonight, as he easily finds his way onto the score sheet.

Center is crowded at the top with Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews and Evgeni Malkin. With so much focus at the top, an opportunity emerges with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their depth at center should not be overlooked. Tyler Bozak centers two gifted wingers in veteran James van Riemsdyk and sophomore speedster Mitchell Marner. On the third line, Nazem Kadri has yet to find chemistry in the preseason with new acquisition Patrick Marleau, but there is no denying these two could form a solid one-two punch at even-strength and with the man-advantage. Bozak & Kadri have the luxury of facing a Winnipeg Jets team that allowed the second-most goals per game (2.98) on home ice last season. In a game where goals should not be hard to find and with discounted prices across the industry, Tyler Bozak & Nazem Kadri make for solid pivots from sophomore stud Auston Matthews.