Here’s one last point about Nazem Kadri while we await the inevitable suspension: He’s not going down fighting. He didn’t fight. Fighting – ya know, actually dropping the gloves – would have been the better option.

It would have resulted – at worst – in five-and-a-game. But there’d be no suspension. Because there never is with a fight.

He chose cross-check-to-the-head along the boards with a player in a vulnerable position.

To be honest, I think most hockey fans would rather see a fight than a cross check. Am I wrong. I can live without either, but I’d rather see the fight.

I’m not sure why Kadri goes dirty instead of dropping the gloves. Fighting remains part of the game. Less so these days, but it’s still there. It’s only a penalty.

Jake DeBrusk offered to fight Kadri early. Kadri chose to take it, not fight back. Hoping to get a call. Didn’t get it. Kadri doesn’t get calls. He used to. But he’s been called too many times for fakery.

On the Leafs

The Leafs will be skating this morning, or not. I’ll check in with a separate story on the new Kadri-less lines. Right now, it feels like you guys need a Mailbag. So to the Monday Mailbag:

(As always, if you have a question, email me at askkevinmcgran@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to answer it.)

QUESTION: Hi Kevin,

A little Sun Zhu quote to get the mailbag going, in regards to Auston Matthews

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Auston Matthews follows the last option when it comes to the Bruins. He doesn’t know himself nor the enemy (Bruins) come playoff time. At the time of writing, he has put up two points in nine games against Boston over two series. If he can’t score against Boston due the tight game they play on him, he should be contributing in other ways. He’s a big guy, he can use his weight a bit, play with some grit. But no, he doesn’t know himself other then to be an offensive machine. He can be that over other teams (he had five points against Washington over six games two years ago), but it doesn’t work against Boston. And if we have any chance to beat Boston, he needs to do something of significance.

Your thoughts?

Justin P

ANSWER: Matthews is supposed to score. When a scorer doesn’t score, he’s supposed to do everything else right, especially in his own end. Matthews is at his best when he’s tenacious. He’s never been physical, but I haven’t see the tenacity of the first 20 games of the season when he looked like he might be a challenger for the Hart. I’ve seen it in spurts. It needs to reappear soon.

QUESTION: Hi Kevin

I cant believe what I witnessed Kadri do last night. Did he just move himself to the front of the line of Dubas’ trade options?

Jim B

ANSWER: Yes, and he lowered his trade value. If he can’t be trusted to keep his head in the playoffs, then a playoff team won’t want him.

QUESTION: Not really a question, but have to get this off my chest. I’m a loyal Leaf fan who spends the winter in Florida. Only downside is that I have to watch the NBC broadcast with the insufferable Mike Milbury.

He’s such a homer he makes Don Cherry look evenhanded.

Milbury was at his worst discussing the Kadri hit. I agree Kadri’s hit was foolish, undisciplined and deserves whatever suspension he gets from the NHL. BUT....Milbury went on and on about getting this type of thing out of the game, continually berating Kadri. He said nothing about DeBrusk’s deliberate knee on knee hit on Kadri that precipitated the later incident.

I get that Milbury needs to pander to the ‘local’ audience, but he could have said something about the other side

Oh well.....I’m flying home tomorrow to see game three live on Monday, so I can add my voice to the cheering.

Thanks.. I feel much better now

Phil from Sarasota

ANSWER: At least you were warm this winter. You’re going to get wet this week.

QUESTION: I don’t know what George Parros is looking at, I don’t know how anyone could think Kadri’s hit last year was 2 games worse than Kucherov’s. I think he just throws darts at a board. I really like the Mailbag every day.

Craig M.

ANSWER: I’ll agree Kucherov’s hit was worse but here’s the thing to remember (and it is easy to forget as I did in the immediate aftermath of the Kadri hit): Kadri’s a repeat offender. Kucherov is not. First time offenders get the benefit of the doubt. Repeat offenders get dealt with more harshly. I can’t say I disagree with this approach. But that’s the context of how the department of player safety operates.

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QUESTION: Do you think that in the playoffs home ice is a real advantage anymore?

Peter H

ANSWER: Yes I do. It may not look that way even this year, but that’s a small sample size. The home team usually wins. As good as NHL refs are, they can get swayed by a loud crowd. According to TSN, home teams have won Game 7 in the first round of the NHL playoffs by a margin of a 100-70 after last year’s Boston-Toronto Game 7.

QUESTION: Hi Kevin,

I read an article the other day about Babcock being in trouble if the Leafs offer up another ‘dud’ in the playoffs. I really don’t understand how anyone could say the last two playoff years were duds? A quick review:

2016-2017 – Leafs were no expected to make the playoffs at all this year, barely grabbed the eighth seed and played the best team in the conference as a result. It was widely agreed that the young upstart Leafs played an excellent series and managed to take the series to six hard-fought games. Not a dud.

2017-2018 – Leafs finish third in conference and by virtue of this awesome playoff format, had to play the 5th best team in the league (and I believe they had the best record in hockey from Jan to Mar). After two bad games in Boston, they clawed back in the series and took it all the way to seven games and had the lead going into the third period. Two dud games and one dud period but the series was not a dud. Boston was heavily favoured to win and they did it, but it was not easy.

Maybe I just need a definition of ‘dud’? Maybe it means ‘didn’t win the Cup’ or ‘lost to better teams’? but if you follow the actual definition:

‘a thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless’

Then I think the ‘dud’ moniker is way off.

John H

ANSWER: Good points all around. There are knives out for Babcock. Some who don’t like his approach, or his personality. Some think he’s over-rated. To be honest, his Detroit teams under-achieved after 2008. Some just want change. Some want to see a more progressive coach and feel that’s Sheldon Keefe. But no, the Leafs have not been playoff duds. They might be this year, but let’s wait and see.

QUESTION: Hi Kevin. What are the chances of the NHL stopping this farce of having two different rule books for their product depending on what the date is? They game is refereed completely differently in the playoffs than it is in the regular season. This is nothing new - but it does make for a terrible product in my opinion because it becomes completely unpredictable and unfair as a result. Games end up turning based on the whim and whimsy of how the ref feels that night.

But more importantly from a safety perspective, I firmly believe that the refs are to blame for the majority of the dirty hits and plays out there. If they called the game as per the rules throughout the game you wouldn't have players losing their temper out there and doing dangerous things. If I were a player or a coach I would not be apologizing for transgressions at all, I would be spitting mad and telling the league that if they don't want the players policing the game themselves then they better damn well get the ref's policing the game properly.

It's the same logic that was applied to getting fighting out of the game largely - there is no reason why it can't apply to the rest of the dirty hits and plays. Now that I'm done ranting... What do you think the chances are of the league actually moving towards stricter adherence to the rules throughout the playoffs?

Sincerely, Alex P

ANSWER: While I agree with your sentiment 100 per cent – as I say, when the refs put away their whistles, you’ll hear some commentators say: “They’re letting the players play.” My rebut to that is “They’re letting the cheaters cheat.” ... But let me reconsider that, and you should to. It’s just a different perspective and one worth considering. It came from Justin Bourne, the former player who now works for The Athletic. He agrees that the refs in the Boston-Toronto Game 2 did a poor job of calling penalties early, leading to a more heated game. But that’s just one game. He believes more penalties are called early overall in the playoffs, it just looks like the refs have put away their whistles since players are 10 times dirtier in the playoffs than in the regular season. It's a position worth considering. The refs have a line to walk, too.

