Gardiner or Zaitsev

[SHANNYPLAN]

Who is the better defence man?
who is more Valuable to the team?​

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[Apotheosis]

They both have been bad but both have good peaks. Gardiner was better at his peak last year.

 

[Buds17]

Never has to be a case of either/or since they play opposite sides - and on the same pair a lot - but it's very close. I'd go with Zaitsev because he's a righty, plays on the PK and should be the better value deal once Gardiner signs his next contract.

 

[Mugzy97]

Too close to call, Gardiner in his prime and Zaitsev with unknown potential as well. Best right now is Gardiner but might be surpassed by Zaitsev

 

[DarkKnight]

Depends on which Jakell and Hyde shows up.

 

[Trapper]

Who is the better defence man?
who is more Valuable to the team?​

The first question depends on who you ask and what night it is.
The 2nd question I'd say Zaitsev. Locked up longer probably at lower dollar over that time plus RHD.

 

[killer1980]

At the beginning of the year, when the Leafs seemed happy winning games 8-5, that style was right in Gardner's wheelhouse. He could make defensive mistakes and the offense would more than make up for it. Now, they are trying to play more defensively. For what reason, with the players they have, totally eludes me. However, to answer the question, Gardner seems less capable given the current coaching style.

 

[54thecup]

Defence depends so much on your partner and both elevating / covering your strengths and weaknesses. Last year Mo and and Z became ineffective together. This year its these 2. at least Z is a rock on pk. gards is struggling! I dont understand why he is not using he his legs like he can. It may be under Babs orders but Mo is doing it selectively as is Cyborg. IMO, its gards who is the poorer d so far, especially compared to his potential! I expect the coaches to help him thru this, hey we re .650 with sooo much upside!

 

[mulefarm]

If the Leafs lost Gardiner they would be in a world of hurt. Zaitsev is a great PK player and a very good 3rd pairing player. Just like Reilly, Gardiner needs a steady partner.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Gardiner has no future on the Leafs and will not be resigned, he is a #2 pp guy and cant kill penalties and is weak defensively ... Zaitsev is a #2 pp guy and kills penalties and is good defensively...

 

[Rare Jewel]

Zaitsev for me.

It's not that I dislike Gardiner either and do appreciate what he does well. I think they're pretty equal in terms of offensive attributes - shot, passing, skating (slight edge to Jake there) but the more decisive edge (for Zaitsev) is his penalty killing and seems much less mistake prone. Also being a righty I suppose is a bonus as well, particularly with Babcock.

 

[LondonKendrick]

This should be Gardiner vs a potato. It's basically a poll asking if you hate Gardiner or not.

Again, Zaitsev zone exits, denial of zone entries blow, his offense is meh while Gardiner produces well if not elite in every category regular stats or advanced.

-Edit- reading how this thread is developing is astounding, throw out all the numbers and blindly scapegoat Jake

 

[Hogan86]

If I had to choose between them right now, I keep Zaitsev 10 out of 10 times. Great AAV, righty, very good on the PK, physical. They both have great moments, and bad moments, but in my opinion Zaitsev brings more to the table. Gardiner has the skillset to have a much higher ceiling, but he always finds ways to be soft or have a brutal giveaway at the worst possible time.

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

I'm sure most will pick the one who is reliable, in position, steady and dependable that doesn't make bone headed plays that causes scoring opportunities for the opposing team.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Tough question to answer but it seems to me Gardiner is the better player right now (Zaitsev can still improve a little), but Zaitsev has slightly more value due to Gardiners next contract/RHD/age.

 

[firstemperor]

It's too close to call right now. Gardiner at his best is probably better/more impactful but don't think his defense is ever really good. And his dry spells are quite horrific. He becomes dominant at times because he impacts the game heavily with his possession game.

In any case, Zaitsev's deal pushes him into the core + he plays a more valuable position. Gardiner is a bubble player right now after his deal is done.

 

[Confucius]

I like Zaitsev, mainly because I prefer defensive dmen.

 

[123offtheglass]

I'd say right now it's Zaitsev, being locked up for 7 years at a 4.5m; while Gardiner is a pending free agent at about 4m for the next 2 years (being a ufa he should get a big raise in his next contract). Both players close in age; Zaitsev though is by far the leafs best right handed deference right now (could be lilgegren in the future), with rielly and gardiner both being left handed. Zaitsev is better right now although Gardiner does have greater upside, just very inconsistent.

I'd say based off present performance and how much he is used that Zaitsev is more valuable to the leafs; babcock seems to love him. Not saying that things could change though.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Who is the better defence man? Gardiner by a bit.
who is more Valuable to the team? Zaitsev because RHD.

 

[1specter]

Gardiner.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Gardiner is better but I think Zaitsev is more valuable to the team because he PKs and is a righty

 

[Drytoast]

At the beginning of the year, when the Leafs seemed happy winning games 8-5, that style was right in Gardner's wheelhouse. He could make defensive mistakes and the offense would more than make up for it. Now, they are trying to play more defensively. For what reason, with the players they have, totally eludes me. However, to answer the question, Gardner seems less capable given the current coaching style.

“For what reason escapes you”

Really!?

Not sure if serious...

 

[Tall Morty]

Jake Gardiner reacts to the poll results.

 

[Macallan18]

Gardiner by a country mile.
He verges on the elite.
Zaitsev, not so much.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Gardiner has shown that he can drive a highly effective second pairing. He's got a history of really good performances in softer usage, even though his results playing on a matchup pairing has been mixed. Zaitsev has only shown us that he cannot (as of yet) be a top pairing guy, and he is still struggling in the kind of role that Gardiner normally thrives in.

Both of them are struggling right now, but Gardiner has a history of being much better. Zaitsev only has a short history of failure in hard, hard minutes.