“Obviously, he’s got the talent to be in that one-spot, and he just brings so much, even in terms of off the ice,” Kadri said Monday. “He’s a leader, he’s professional. I know, playing with him, he takes care of himself. His preparation is second to none, so I think that’s one thing that’s going to mesh well with our team.”
Kadri and Tavares will sport the same jersey for the second time in their hockey careers, the first coming when the duo played together for the OHL’s London Knights during the 2008-09 season. Tavares joined the team for the latter portion of that campaign, posting 32 goals and 50 points through his 24 games as a Knight, while Kadri amassed 25 goals and a team-leading 78 points through 56 games.
“Even back in the day, he used to just have a knack for the net and was able to produce goals every single year,” Kadri recalled. “It’s going to be exciting.”
For wins. That’s the simple answer,” Kadri told the Prime Time Sports crew. “We’re trying to build something special. We’re not only trying to build it for the next two or three years, but it’s going to be a significant amount of time where we can contend. So I think that’s what he’d be most excited about.”
Much has yet to be decided regarding Tavares’ fit with the club and the best arrangement of the roster’s offensive weapons. There’s also the matter of whether the Mississauga, Ont., native now jumps past
In Kadri’s eyes, there’s no question Tavares would be up to the task.
“I definitely know he can handle [the captaincy] — he’s a guy that’s got some pretty big shoulders, and you can put a lot of weight on them,” Kadri said. “He’s a good player — he’s been under a lot of pressure since he was 13, 14 years old. Just the hype of John Tavares , I remember back in the day, it was through the roof.
“I’m not sure how a young kid handled it as well as he did, but he’s been used to that.”
