Duchene, Kadri lead most impressive bounce-back seasons

Matt Duchene is scoring in Nashville, Nazem Kari is back to his best following last season's playoff disappointment and Ryan Getzlaf is playing like vintage Ryan Getzlaf.

On the latest episode of Zone Time, Julian is joined by Omar, Justin and Avry to discuss the Battle of Alberta, the most impressive bounce-back seasons, and the small matter of a new jersey in Jersey.

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Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Most impressive bounce back season candidates. There have been some guys this year who have done pretty decent after it looked as if we're going to write them off after past performances. I mean, like my pick personally, or I don't know how much you guys are going to go for it, and if I'm sorry if I'm stepping on toes here. I got a front row seat-- I mean, not front row seat, but a decent enough view for a Matt Duchene natural hat trick over the weekend.

And that is a guy, who for whatever reason in Nashville, is finally starting to produce at close enough to the rate that the Predators wanted to see him do when they signed him to that contract and they lured him. Remember, he was at that free agent was bouncing around from all these different teams, he was in Colorado and then Ottawa. He was in Columbus at one point too. Like this is a guy who, you know, he just wanted his country music, man. He just wanted to chill out in Nashville.

[LAUGHTER]

He gets what he wants and pretty much it feels as if ever since his day one, there was a big regret for him to go there. But finally, for the first time it seems for the length of this deal that he's on with Nashville, he seems to be doing well at least from an offensive standpoint. I don't know if he's doing enough to get himself on Team Canada this year, but I think the most impressive bounce back season for Matt Duchene. At least that's my pick for it. Also the one last thing I'll say about Matt Duchene is this before I leave the floor to you guys. I still don't forgive him for essentially giving us that off side.

OMAR: Yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Review thing. He will never be forgiven for that. It's all his fault.

OMAR: Matt Duchene ruined the NHL.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He did.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Wow.

OMAR: He was 15--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. I don't know if I'm going to go all the way to say "ruin the NHL."

OMAR: OK, he didn't ruin the NHL, but like, yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He definitely-- it's his fault. Let's be real here.

OMAR: Because he was 15 miles offside.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: It's his fault we had that ruined.

OMAR: And now because of that, we're looking at like whether someone's was like a millimeter offside and like it sucks. Like it is the biggest goal that gets scored and then it's like, well, no. Coach's challenge, review it, right? And even the whole offside thing as well. That started like where you enter the zone offside, but you're in the zone for like 30 seconds and then score and they can just review it. Does that still happen? I don't know if that's happened yet.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I'll stop you there because that is an entire episode for itself. Give me a bounce back candidate if you can. No, it's my fault because I brought that out into the universe.

OMAR: Yeah, for me I would definitely say-- I say Nazem Kadri. I think--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh, good.

OMAR: And not because--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You picked four with--

OMAR: And not because Kadri isn't-- ha, ha. Yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

Oh. Oh, my God. It's funny, how Clifford got called up. I'm like, I don't know if he's going to play with the game with the Leafs soon, but he's wearing 43 which is Kadri's number and I'm like, oh. All right.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, stop weeping over nostalgic games. Why's Nazem Kadri your pick?

OMAR: Yeah, so for Kadri, it's not like Kadri like, you know, has been a bad player, but I think how after how last season ended where, you know, another playoff suspension took him out of the playoffs. And I think a lot of people were actually interested to see how he would respond from that and I think he's done a great job. And right now, I think he has like 6 goals and like 23 points or something like that. And he's already close to eclipsing his total from the year before and he just looks-- like he still has that fire, he's still Kadri.

But I think he looks a little more determined and focus and knows that he can't really afford to do anything that dumb again. But on the other side, and this is another way I guess I'll have to connect it to the Leafs, is that it's the Leafs and Kadri are very similar where it's like, OK, well let's see when the playoffs start. So Kadri can have this and can continue on the trajectory and finish with like 50 or 60 points or whatever.

But you know, game one of the playoffs the rest of the first round, you know, are you going to be there? Are you going to be playing in the playoffs in the first round and second round? Or are you going to do something again to kind of take yourself out of the lineup? But I think right now, as far as like I guess bringing some more positivity to, you know, to his role on the team, especially with like MacKinnon out, I think he's done a great job so far.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Uh.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Who's going to go next?

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: It's-- we're dancing. Me and Avry are dancing today. It's funny you mentioned Matt Duchene off the top because doesn't it seem like Matt Duchene always sort of has his best performances when the carrot of a Team Canada is looming? Like wasn't he great in 2014 right before the Olympics and then again in 2016 World Cup? I guess that was about 2015.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I've been thinking about that.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: I feel like Matt Duchene wants to be on Canada's Olympic team, but I'm here to tell him that the 12 goals he's scored so far this season isn't quite going to cut it. I'm going with a guy who's going to be at the Olympics and that's Johnny Gaudreau, staying in Alberta. I mean, I thought the like the relationship was done between Calgary and Johnny Gaudreau. I thought he was going to be on the East Coast as soon as maybe this season because him and Darryl Sutter, oil and water, right? It just didn't seem like that was going to ever be a mix.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: And now he's fifth in league scoring, he looks like the Johnny Gaudreau of old, yet he's playing on a team that's been so defensively responsible and dominant in that aspect. So I feel like he's sort of had the most surprising bounce back performance at least in that context. Also want to give a shout out to Ryan Getzlaf who looks like Ryan Getzlaf of 10 years ago. You know, maybe Canada Olympic Team Ryan Getzlaf right now, producing at a point per game. I'm a big Ryan Getzlaf stan so I had to throw his name in the mix as well.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's OK. Dude is killing it. Finds himself over 1,000 points, all time points leader for the Anaheim Ducks. The Anaheim Ducks. When was the last time we thought about them as a legit team in the National Hockey League? He and the rest of that team have been on a resurgent run over the last little while so no qualms with you mentioning Ryan Getzlaf as an extra. All right, Avry.

JUSTIN CUTHBERT: Hit us with one, Avry.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: All right, so you know, I agree with Justin. My guy was [INAUDIBLE]. For me, it was also Getzlaf as well too. Getzlaf 19 points, second in team scoring, aging like a fine wine, on that team fully [INAUDIBLE] with Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry. It's amazing what he's doing now at the age of 36 years old, but I also want to mention. I came on this show a few weeks ago and said that Dallas Eakins would be canned by Christmas. The Ducks are third in the division.

[LAUGHTER]

So I want to apologize to every Ducks fan in Orange County. I'll look upon this camera and say Duck fans, I am sorry. I didn't mean it. Will you accept me as a fan of hockey Twitter, you know, a fan of your star player? Because I thought they would be in the basement. I thought the Ducks would be where the Kraken are right now. But Getzlaf has been a part of this team that you've been seeing right now. Rebuild? What rebuild? We're coming for the playoffs.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I wonder how many people who are Ducks fans got confused because you said, look upon the camera.

[LAUGHTER]

OMAR: Hit them with the patois.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: There, you hit them with the patois, man. Just like what is this Jamaican accent he's putting on? Whoa.

[LAUGHTER]

Oh, you know I had to make a swipe at people who are just ignorant and not in the know. That had to come out at some point, I'm sorry. I don't know. Anyway, I think we have some pretty good picks in terms of bounce back candidates. Yeah, a lot of guys who are actually trying to make away for themselves this year doing pretty well.