Pre-Game Talk: Sharks @ Toronto January 4th

[Kiwi]

by now you have to wonder if Gardiner is playing like a moron, or if he actually is way too limited mentally to be an effective player going forward

I would probably agree with that assessment but he looked like a world beater last season, where the hell has that guy gone?

 

[Daisy Jane]

I would probably agree with that assessment but he looked like a world beater last season, where the hell has that guy gone?

Jake's biggest issue was that he never had a toolbox. it's v. obvious he lost it again.

 

[Kiwi]

Jake's biggest issue was that he never had a toolbox. it's v. obvious he lost it again.

But how do you find a toolbox one season and lose it the next?

He's one frustrating sob

 

[1specter]

Jake's numbers are starting to normalize again and he routinely plays better in the second half. He's going to go on a nice run then play huge minutes for us in the playoffs and people will calm down again.

 

[Daisy Jane]

But how do you find a toolbox one season and lose it the next?

He's one frustrating sob

easy. everyone has that ONE season where they look amazingly awesome.
the reason why Jake lasted so long was that he had that great series vs. Boston.
then we had all the upheavel/Carlyle vouched for him + Kadri (a LOT) which is why they didn't get traded. Both support from Shanahan + Babcock, and while Kadri took off, even after everything else - Jake has just always been a big dumby idiot. then he had his really big year and you thought OKAY it's over 300 games, Babcock is getting through to him he can do his thing.

nope. Jake just had his one great year. he is dumbzo.
i don't even care if he gets it together somewhere else, i don't have anymore time for that butterfly chasing move he does, or just that he looks utterly clueless all the time.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Jake's numbers are starting to normalize again and he routinely plays better in the second half. He's going to go on a nice run then play huge minutes for us in the playoffs and people will calm down again.

you hope.
quite frankly while everyone is allowed to have a bad month, you shouldn't be crap and braindead for 1/2 the season. (or you can, the team shouldn't commit that much money into someone who is that undependable).

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I would probably agree with that assessment but he looked like a world beater last season, where the hell has that guy gone?

I guess he put it together for a season and then lost it. that happens sometimes with players. it's sad because we really needed him to keep it up. he looks totally fine out there aside from his incredible stupidity. he's been in the league too long to justify how many dumb mistakes he makes and how clueless he's looked all year

What I don't understand is why Gardiner has more ES and PP time than Rielly

 

[1specter]

you hope.
quite frankly while everyone is allowed to have a bad month, you shouldn't be crap and braindead for 1/2 the season. (or you can, the team shouldn't commit that much money into someone who is that undependable).

Eh, I thought he was awful in November but has been okay otherwise. Not as good as last season, but he is trending in a better direction. As long as he pulls through in the second half and playoffs I'll be happy.

We have to remember too that Jake is being leaned on more heavily in terms of competition this year. Previous seasons, Babcock sheltered him heavily, and only kind of started to expose Gardiner more at the end of last season when it was clear that Rielly/Zaitsev was being overmatched. First time Gardiner has had this kind of usage for an extended period of time.

 

[1specter]

easy. everyone has that ONE season where they look amazingly awesome.
the reason why Jake lasted so long was that he had that great series vs. Boston.
then we had all the upheavel/Carlyle vouched for him + Kadri (a LOT) which is why they didn't get traded. Both support from Shanahan + Babcock, and while Kadri took off, even after everything else - Jake has just always been a big dumby idiot. then he had his really big year and you thought OKAY it's over 300 games, Babcock is getting through to him he can do his thing.

nope. Jake just had his one great year. he is dumbzo.
i don't even care if he gets it together somewhere else, i don't have anymore time for that butterfly chasing move he does, or just that he looks utterly clueless all the time.

This is some pretty strong revisionist history, Gardiner's first season under Babcock was also solid. His usage has changed dramatically this year and he struggled in the first quarter but has looked okay recently. We need him to be more than okay but there is still half a season left so I guess we'll see.

Babcock-era Gardiner overall has been a good player.

 

[Daisy Jane]

This is some pretty strong revisionist history, Gardiner's first season under Babcock was also solid. His usage has changed dramatically this year and he struggled in the first quarter but has looked okay recently. We need him to be more than okay but there is still half a season left so I guess we'll see.

Babcock-era Gardiner overall has been a good player.

what part of it is revisionist?
the rumours were always quite strong that Jake had one foot out of the door. Carlyle said he flat out told Nonis that it would be dumbo for them to trade Jake without him playing 300 NHL games.

Shanahan and babcock both referenced that he (and Kadri) needed their support. Kadri had his "poor year" (due to shooting percentage, etc) and Jake was meh. (if you want to call it pretty solid, that's fine, but I think for the contract that he has and where we expected him and needed him to be it's not good enough).

Then last year happen and he was really really great.
and now he's not good at all. again.

and honestly, it wouldn't even bother me so much, if he were younger and it would make more sense, or if this isn't generally the same thing year in year out, minus last year. I personally don't think he's strong enough to mentor younger/less experience partners which is why the Z + Jake pairing isn't very hot, and I don't think it's wise to commit to someone who only gets hot 1/2 the year - but is bad for the first half. like Good Jake is really great, but we need (especially if he wants to get paid) Good jake all the time then Playoff Jake when he triggers, and I don't think that will ever ever happen.

 

[PromisedLand]

"if you hit someone's goalie you deserve a good pop"

 

[Coachcorner]

"if you hit someone's goalie you deserve a good pop"

Y'all already know who giving it to em'? Roman Polanski Polak is hitting them peeps, hard.

 

[Bullseye]

Y'all already know who giving it to em'? Roman Polanski Polak is hitting them peeps, hard.

Roman might have served his team better by drawing Tampa into a scrum before popping someone to even out the penalties rather the obvious slow-motion cross check from behind. But in his defence, if no-one responded to that bodycheck on Freddy we'd be whining about that. I just think when playing Tampa you need to be smart; very smart - smarter in fact than the stupid refs.

 

[Ulysses31]

Hello friends. GIF request: one with babcock, shanny and lou in "started from the bottom" musc video.

thanks in advance.

 

[BertCorbeau]

"if you hit someone's goalie you deserve a good pop"

Rielly getting some praise too from Babs

 

[Daisy Jane]

Rielly getting some praise too from Babs

deserves it

 

[Zizzzzy]

Jakes play this year just feels so lackadaisical. When he goes into the corner for a puck battle he only ever has one hand on his stick and aims to just poke it along so that somebody else can get possession back.

Maybe a system change has really messed with him. He is no longer skating with the puck which was one of his strengths and instead comes out from behind the net and lobs a touchdown pass for a tip in dump n chase. That is NOT Jakes strength, never has been. I detest this dump n chase style, SINCE WE SUCK AT IT!

When he goes into the corner for a puck battle he only ever has one hand on his stick and aims to just poke it along so that somebody else can get possession back.