Jake Gardiner 2015-2016 Expectations

[tml19]

There is one of these up for Rielly and I would be curious what you guys think Jake can do next season.

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[deletethis]

There is one of these up for Rielly and I would be curious what you guys think Jake can do next season.

I think Gardiner's game will be de-constructed then built back up slowly under Babcock's tutelage. Jake Gardiner has gotten by on raw ability alone for his entire pro career. He was too talented for the AHL and didn't pay for his bad habits. Instead of Gardiner having a few seasons in the AHL ironing out the kinks in his game, the pain of failure where you really learn good habits didn't happen until he reached the NHL level. Now he has discovered that he can't always skate out of trouble.

It's too bad the Leafs are paying for what they hope he can be in the future instead of what he is now. This contract may make him a dark horse for a trade along with the so-called core because I believe this new regime wants to bring back merit.

 

[SprDaVE]

His overall game and confidence is really at an all time low.

I have no idea what to expect from him this upcoming season.

 

[Swayze*]

There is one of these up for Rielly and I would be curious what you guys think Jake can do next season.

 

[Swayze*]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrgVFPO_OJc

 

[MapleLife*]

I hope he turns his game around and shows that he can be a legit #3 and work the 1PP with Rielly, Would love to see 40 points with average defensive game

I think we'll see another year of mediocrity

 

[Swayze*]

He's the Kessel of Defence - minus the top level talent.

He'll be quite the rover this year, skating behind their net, avoiding contact etc

 

[Menzinger]

His puck possession game is fantastic- he seemed to thrive once Carlyle was fired and had more flexibility.

I think he'll do quite well under Babcock.

 

[Gallagbi]

I expect a minimum of 2 ongoing Gardiner threads at a time where posters argue back and forth about the value of advanced stats and a handful suggest he be moved to center.

Expectations this season should be to find his role. He isn't a dynamic offensive player, so he needs to continue finding ways for his skating to help him as an all-round defenseman.

 

[StuckOutHere]

It'll be interesting to watch. I found both last year and the year prior he finished seasons very strong. Babcock will help, but I am very up in the air with him. Is he a bottom pairing, PP guy? Or is he a #3 paired with a smart partner to help him out.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I see Improvement back to his 30 point norm. But it will be more of the same, Jake still needs to work on his shot if he is to be effective on the PP, and on ice decision making. Making quicker passes, and making better defensive reads.

Would like to see him not lose so many puck battles in corners also, will be interesting to see how much he weighs coming into camp from his usual 185. Added weight/strength for Jake is not a bad thing.

 

[Derrty]

28 Goals 60pts +35

Seriously though, I'll be ecstatic if he is just a consistent 2nd pairing guy, who can produce a few PP goals for the team.

 

[p.l.f.]

I give up on Jake Gardiner
I'd gladly take a mid-high 2nd rd pick for him

 

[ACC1224]

Improving his defensive game will be the biggest expectation.

 

[frankthetank91]

Just be at least decent defensively. If he's going to continue to suck that bad defensively, he better step up his offensive game then.

 

[Mike1]

Jake needs a coach that believes in his game. Is it Babcock?

 

[LeafsNation149]

I'm expecting him to be a top 50 dman next year in the NHL
Should shut the haters up nicely.

 

[Diatomic]

I want Jake from the 2013 playoffs back. I loved that guy, always hovering around the offensive zone, playing 20+mins a game. Awesome.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Pasting some stuff from other threads:

Gardiner didn't have a bad +/- because he was on for a lot of goals against. His +/- was bad because we didn't score with him on the ice, also something that D-men have pretty much no control over.

Tell me something. If Gardiner is so horrendous defensively, why does he consistently make us much better at preventing shots, scoring chances and goals against as soon as he steps on the ice? No matter what metric you look at and no matter if you look at raw or contextually based numbers, that all remains true.

People like Gardiner because they can evaluate defensive play differently, and it goes completely in line with the actual results Gardiner puts up.

What annoys me in any debate about Gardiner is that his critics base their opinion on a faulty and biased eye-test, which is just how our human cognition works, and would rather dismiss exactly everything else that points to the opposite than actually consider that they might have missed something, or that their evaluation is not accurate.

I've still yet to get an answer, that isn't easily countered, in over a year of having this discussion, to why Gardiner can be so good at limiting shots, scoring chances and goals against compared to his team if he is so horrendous defensively. I mean, you'd think that over the past few years such a horrendous ability to defend would actually result in some extra shots or a few goals here and there.

Still waiting for an answer to the last one.

 

[MakeTheIronSing]

Jake Gardiner is still young enough and has enough raw talent to be a very successful d man.

Learning and coaching doesn't stop at 25, but he needs to get his head out of his a** ASAP, because he needs to be a solid consistent contributor to this team going forward.

He also needs to grow a pair and actually learn to take a hit as well as dish out a few hits. It drives me crazy watching him shrivel up like a scared little flower every time somebody comes near him.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Jake Gardiner is still young enough and has enough raw talent to be a very successful d man.

Learning and coaching doesn't stop at 25, but he needs to get his head out of his a** ASAP, because he needs to be a solid consistent contributor to this team going forward.

He also needs to grow a pair and actually learn to take a hit as well as dish out a few hits. It drives me crazy watching him shrivel up like a scared little flower every time somebody comes near him.

Duncan Keith, one of the premier D-men of the last 10 years or so, puts up about one fourth of the amount of hits that Gardiner does, even with rink-bias accounted for. He also likes to pull the exact same move Gardiner does to avoid hits.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Pasting some stuff from other threads:











Still waiting for an answer to the last one.

Coincidence? You may keep playing this one card for Jake, but to ignore his frequent giveaways, his lack of points despite him being used in offensive situations, or losing his man in defensive coverages, or his lack of strength to win one on one battles, or his questionable hockey IQ that we all have seen these past 3 years is not factoring in the entire picture.

 

[dballislife2]

jake can skate and has solid offense...he needs to be stronger, tougher, and play better overall D

 

[91Kadri91*]

Coincidence? You may keep playing this one card for Jake, but to ignore his frequent giveaways, his lack of points despite him being used in offensive situations, or losing his man in defensive coverages, or his lack of strength to win one on one battles, or his questionable hockey IQ that we all have seen these past 3 years is not factoring in the entire picture.

So... you have no legitimate answer then? I don't care how many giveaways Jake has if they're not leading to anything, and based on his GA60 and shot suppression metrics they aren't.

Everyone is so concerned about what they see, that they completely ignore how effective he actually is. It just so happens that, defensively, Gardiner is incredibly effective.

 

[Purity*]

Pasting some stuff from other threads:





Still waiting for an answer to the last one.

Yet again he led our defensemen (atleast ones who played over 1K minutes) in GA/60. Led defensemen in shots against/60. And once again led our team in Corsi (such a useless stat though right? Maybe when corsi-god Chicago wins the cup yet again people's opinions will change).


With Gardiner on the ice, we generate more shot attempts, possess the puck more, and get less shots against. Some people on this board severely dislike his style of defense because he doesn't crush people on the boards like Polak does.

Duncan Keith is rarely ever involved in 1 on 1 battles because of his ability to win puck races, and his team is constantly transitioning and generating offensive zone pressure rather than running around in their end. When he is in those situations, he simply doesn't take the body like some people love to see. He uses terrific stick-work and a great first pass to play defense.