Nazem Kadri

Nazem Kadri: Maple Leafs wins last season were 'mentally exhausting'

Published Nov. 19, 2015 11:11 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a lot more fun under new coach Mike Babcock this season than they had under former coaches Randy Carlyle and Peter Horachek last season, and the difference has been tangible this November as the Leafs are 5-2-2 on the month.

Toronto did go through stretches last season when they put together a few wins, but forward Nazem Kadri said those games last year do not hold a candle to what winning feels like this year.

"The way we were winning was just like (exchanging) chance for chance," Kadri told the Toronto Sun. "You knew that wasn’t going to keep up. It was mentally exhausting."

This year, Mike Babcock is keeping the players motivated by using positive reinforcement and demanding solid play in an attempt to make the playoffs.

Yes, playoffs. Although the Leafs are positioned for a long-term rebuild, Babcock told reporters he will not discard the idea of winning now, and it seems that type of hopeful attitude benefits the general happiness of the team.

So in just the second month of this rebuild, the horizon looks bright for Toronto. It's an unexpected but very welcome turn of events.

(h/t Toronto Sun)

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Nazem Kadri

Toronto Maple Leafs

National Hockey League