Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Leafs forward Nazem Kadri has a lot of respect for Mitch Marner and has gone to bat for him publicly this week, emphasizing his importance in Toronto.

This past off-season, Marner was under constant scrutiny from fans after another disappointing playoff performance as the Leafs crumpled in the first round to the Boston Bruins again.

Since then, multiple past and current teammates, and players from around the league, like Nathan MacKinnon and Zack Bogosian have defended Marner and called out fans for their unfair treatment of the former first-round pick.

Despite the constant criticism, Marner issued a surprising statement to Leafs fans during a pre-season interview, thanking fans for their support.

In an attempt to promote his new book, Nazem Kadri was on ‘The Real Kyper and Bourne Show’ on Friday, where he was asked about Marner and how he supported him in his book. Kadri revealed that the person the media and Leafs fans see is completely different than the one players know, and that without him, the Leafs wouldn’t be where they are.

 
“It’s a bit of touchy subject because the fans obviously have to pick somebody to get on and it’s always going to be the guys making the most money. That’s something I saw happen to Dion and Phil. They were always the scapegoats to anything that went wrong. I’ve known Mitch for a long time and I’ve watched him play for a long time. He’s a guy I’d take on my team any day of the week. He’s the heart and soul of that team and without Mitch I think things wouldn’t be as good.”

The former Leaf knows Marner well, and knows first hand what he’s like behind the scenes and how much he means to everyone in the locker room. He also knows that Marner is an elite talent that isn’t often treated as such.

Despite the rocky end to his tenure in Toronto, Kadri is still open to potentially re-joining the Maple Leafs at some point, but for now, the 34-year-old has 5 goals and 8 points in 14 games for the Flames as he begins year three of his seven-year deal, which he signed with the Flames in the summer of 2022 as a UFA.