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Are we witnessing a transformed Nazem Kadri?

This NHL season, his fifth of 40 or more games, Kadri has solidified himself as not only a match-up centre but also an attacker capable of upping the ante in the goal-scoring department.

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Adjustments to the way Kadri approaches the offensive end are powering a period of progress for a key veteran on an upstart Maple Leafs squad.

Kadri, who has never scored more than 20 goals in a season, is on pace for 34 tallies this year. Consistently firing the puck from high-percentage areas of the ice — and acting swiftly when the puck touches his stick — has been a boon.

“The one thing I’ve learned is, it’s not about the power of the shot, necessarily. It’s about the quickness,” Kadri said Saturday morning from his locker-room stall at the Air Canada Centre, hours before a two-assist performance in a shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators.

“I’ve been really just trying to get the puck on and off my stick as quickly as possible, especially in tight, and trying to elevate the puck because goalies are just so good athletically. They can slide across, so you have to get the puck upstairs.”