Big games can be lost in moments where poor decision making turns the puck over, certainly. But...Gardiner is also capable of pulling off exceptional plays in the face of immense pressure. And since the Boston series we lost, I've been a huge fan of that x-factor that he brings and brought. With Andersen playing as he has, I'm fine with Gardiner continuing being that gambler from the back end. Stick him with Hainsey and give him the green light. We know what his positive and negative attributes are, and every year an insistent group uses the same misapplied apprehension of wanting Gardiner to improve his defensive game while applauding Reilly for his, yet ignoring little things like the +12 that Gardiner has over Reilly this season and the +44 he had over Reilly the season before.
Gardiner might look like the lesser defenceman (for reasons I don't understand), I suspect, because of the style of play he leans towards and perhaps a general affect of giving less of an effort than we believe he can. But the end result seems to portray a much more valuable defenceman than he gets credit for.
Jake Gardiner, not Morgan Reilly, has been our best defenceman over the last two seasons. He's been our best playoffs performer from the backend since he arrived. He's not a true number one, but he's solid number two.
Morgan Reilly feels at times like our identity politics poster child: We have to praise him because there's an insistent expectation to do so given his advertised tag and draft position. But it's Jake Gardiner, that's demonstrated - albeit in a frustrating, confusing fashion at times - that he's our best player on defense. And from what I've gleaned from Travis Dermott - points aside - it's Dermott, not Reilly, that's beginning to look more and more as though he may emerge as our most important player on defense.
This to say, if I'm Lou (and there's a thread to that effect where I intimated a big move I'd make were I the Leafs GM) and if D-starved Vancouver came looking for a "number one D", I'd offer the Vancouver-born Reilly in a heartbeat if it meant Bo Horvat was headed to Toronto. I'd continue to roll with Gardiner, Dermott and Zaitsev and supplement Reilly's departure with a move for a quality RHD with appropriate term and salary, like Justin Braun whom I mentioned in the Lou thread. And we could further supplement with a signing or allow our depth (e.g. Borgman, Carrick, Holl) to offset the need until next season when Doughty becomes available or quality secondary options. Liljegren could be ready, etc, etc...
...but Jake Gardiner is much more valuable than he is given credit for.
