Rumor: 4 teams, including Montreal, have made Gardiner an offer

[Legion34]

He fits in good with the rest of the Leafs.

Didn’t your team lose out on the playoffs. By choking away a 3-0 lead.... to the leafs?

 

[abo9]

Who do you sit?

The teenager who made the NHL as a 19 years old and played on the 1st pairing last season, leading team in +/- amongst dman?
The 24 year old who have shwon the biggest progression, jumping from 8 points in 71 games to 17 in 57 games
Or the guy you just signed to a 3y ears contract?

None of them are top pairing dman, but none of them should be in the pressbox on a regular basis neither.

Good news is Gardiner is still available, and probably won't sign until october. That give us plenty of time to take another look at our D. Maybe they have a setback. Maybe someone get hurt. Then Gardiner get a phone call for sure. But right now, I see no point.

Assuming the price and length are good, we locked ourselves us out of the only legit LHD we would have on the team by signing too many bottom pairing guys?

I don't see the problem in rotating Reilly/Kulak/Mete in and out of the press box to have fresh legs on the ice. For that matter, Reilly can sit more often and I don't mind, he's a policy insurance in case of injuries. Gardiner on the top pair, Mete on the second with Petry, and Kulak on the third and second PP seems like a better plan no ?

 

[De Montreal]

Assuming the price and length are good, we locked ourselves us out of the only legit LHD we would have on the team by signing too many bottom pairing guys?

I don't see the problem in rotating Reilly/Kulak/Mete in and out of the press box to have fresh legs on the ice. For that matter, Reilly can sit more often and I don't mind, he's a policy insurance in case of injuries. Gardiner on the top pair, Mete on the second with Petry, and Kulak on the third and second PP seems like a better plan no ?

Well then, where does Chiarot play? You can't just healthy scratch someone you signed a few weeks ago.

 

[Nithoniniel]

I don't think that most unbiased leaf fans would say he's horrible defensively. As you say, the stats don't support that.

However, I don't see how you can deny that he makes the most boneheaded plays. I know every defenceman does sometimes, but with Gardiner it is once every single game. I find it to be completely unacceptable for an NHL defenceman. Sure, over the course of the season, on average, he's better than most. But come playoff time, on a game-to-game basis, you need someone reliable and Gardiner is not that.

I'd honestly rather have a slightly worse defenceman who is at least consistent. The coaches and players can adjust their strategy accordingly to accommodate a defenceman who has less puck moving abilities. However if the players expect Gardiner to make great passes and breakout early or something, and then he completely whiffs on the puck and gives it away in front of the net, we stand no chance.

I really do like Gardiner, and hope the best for him. He's just not a good fit for the leafs. If you're really questioning why leafs fan give him a hard time, then it is consistency. If he was a forward, those same mistakes are generally far less costly but as a defenceman, its not a good trait to have.

The weird thing with Gardiner is that he legitimately raises his game in the playoffs.... until it's Game 7.

The argument that it's harder for the team to cover for mistakes of the kind he makes is a good one though.

 

[abo9]

Well then, where does Chiarot play? You can't just healthy scratch someone you signed a few weeks ago.

Shoot I legit forgot about Chiarot
MB screwing us by signing too much depth? Maybe that will save us an overpayment idk I'd be down to put Reilly through waivers and down in the AHL... but then I guess that looks pretty bad for player relations and we probably have too much depth there anyway with Alzner already down?

Ooof and we have a similar problem with depth forwards... I can't wait for the prospects to grow up

 

[mulefarm]

The weird thing with Gardiner is that he legitimately raises his game in the playoffs.... until it's Game 7.

The argument that it's harder for the team to cover for mistakes of the kind he makes is a good one though.

I would say Andersen is more of a problem in 7 than Gardiner has been!

 

[tony d]

Montreal being the landing spot for Gardiner seems logical to me.

 

[SI]

Shoot I legit forgot about Chiarot
MB screwing us by signing too much depth? Maybe that will save us an overpayment idk I'd be down to put Reilly through waivers and down in the AHL... but then I guess that looks pretty bad for player relations and we probably have too much depth there anyway with Alzner already down?

Ooof and we have a similar problem with depth forwards... I can't wait for the prospects to grow up

Gardiner - Weber
Chiarot - Petry
Mete - Kulak/Folin

Reilly is sent down and the 1st call up
Alzner buried

That is solid top 4 and you can slowly give Mete more responsibility as the year moves. Protects the team from injury

 

[TheBeastCoast]

The weird thing with Gardiner is that he legitimately raises his game in the playoffs.... until it's Game 7.

The argument that it's harder for the team to cover for mistakes of the kind he makes is a good one though.

The big problem Gardiner has is when he is forced to make decisions under pressure in particular when he is forced to his backhand. That is how Boston exploited him in the playoff series just chipped the puck in his side send someone crashing to try and force him to his backhand and when that happens....it can get ugly. He is a very very good player but can be exploited in that scenario.

 

[SI]

The big problem Gardiner has is when he is forced to make decisions under pressure in particular when he is forced to his backhand. That is how Boston exploited him in the playoff series just chipped the puck in his side send someone crashing to try and force him to his backhand and when that happens....it can get ugly. He is a very very good player but can be exploited in that scenario.

He was also playing injured, right?

 

[Satanphonehome]

No conversation on who the other teams might be, or why Gardiner hasn’t picked one yet?

Is he still holding out for a miracle offer from the Leafs?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

He was also playing injured, right?

Yeah he had a bad back this year. He honestly was sheltered pretty significantly in this years series but still looked like a shell of himself in the limited time he was on. The year before when Gardiner played a bigger role it was really evident.

 

[SI]

Yeah he had a bad back this year. He honestly was sheltered pretty significantly in this years series but still looked like a shell of himself in the limited time he was on. The year before when Gardiner played a bigger role it was really evident.

Yet the skill set he possesses is exactly what the Habs need.

 

[Rico Suave]

I could see him signing with the Habs for 1year to play top minutes with Weber + PP,raise hes value more and he signs longterm next summer to the team of hes choice

 

[Kotkaniemi15]

I don't even understand these chirps. Are you under the impression that Leafs fans think the team has been good in the cap era?

Things are looking pretty good lately though, so why would we lose sleep over the past?

You have no room to make fun of any team in the league. The Leafs are the least successful franchise in the NHL in the past 15 years or so. They are nothing more than a first round bye for the Boston Bruins.

 

[ottomaddox]

Montreal being the landing spot for Gardiner seems logical to me.

Also too much smoke without this being a fire.

 

[IPS]

Carolina has signed Jake Gardiner to a 4 year contract

 

[Stand Witness]

Signed for 4 yrs in Carolina

 

[MasterMatt25]

Finally we can stop this Gardiner to MTL hogwash. He already rejected us like a month ago, why would we still be interested