Speculation: How Many Points Will Gardiner Record Next Season?

[Peasy]

Been a lot of talk about Gardiner lately and i want to see how you guys think he will do next season.

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[NarcoPolo]

30-40 ish with a stronger defensive game

 

[Grant]

Went with 30-40 option. More specifically I think it will be between 30-35.

 

[Holymakinaw]

10 goals and 40 points. Dion scores 12 and 45, in a resurgence year for him. The two will surprise many and become a great pairing, I bet.

 

[Atomos2]

He'll be PPG. But I went with 30-40 because I didn't want to get laughed at.

 

[Beleafer4]

Chalk me up for 40-50

 

[Teeder9]

40-50 points and become our best dman

 

[Durrr]

I don't doubt that Gardiner had 40-50 in him if given 1st PP time. So basically, it depends what happens with Franson. If he's still around, sucking up his PP time then 30-40.

 

[BonMorrison]

Depends. If he's utilized in a lesser role and 2nd unit PP time, I'd say probably 30 points tops. If he gets 1st unit PP time and a top 4 role consistently, I can see 40-something points.

 

[Porn*]

36 lol

10g 26a

 

[Quares27]

30-40 as it is right now, 40-50 if Franson leaves and he gets #1PP time

 

[King85Kong]

10 goals and 40 points. Dion scores 12 and 45, in a resurgence year for him. The two will surprise many and become a great pairing, I bet.

I agree. Think it will be around the 40 point mark. Hopefully he gets #1PP unit time.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

For all of Gardiner's offensive talent his point totals are disappointing. With an emphasis on defence with Spott in as assistant, I will say he is somewhere where he always is. Around the 30 point mark. With variance of 5 points on the up or down side.

 

[Eb]

Been a lot of talk about Gardiner lately and i want to see how you guys think he will do next season.

It all depends on where he plays.

I also love how you are interested in what other's opinions are on how well he will play next season, and you use points as the judgement.

With some talk about him playing with Phaneuf next season, the biggest judgement on how well he plays will be in his own end, the lack of blunders and playing a solid puck possession game.

 

[JackJ]

Less if Franson is still around.

 

[Purity*]

I'll be optimistic and say he cracks 40+ points with a bigger role on the Leafs.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

It all depends on where he plays.

I also love how you are interested in what other's opinions are on how well he will play next season, and you use points as the judgement.

With some talk about him playing with Phaneuf next season, the biggest judgement on how well he plays will be in his own end, the lack of blunders and playing a solid puck possession game.

I agree, it will all come down to how well Gardiner plays defensively. Everyone talks about possession but it is this that gets him into trouble at times, trying to get fancy by making every shift a picasso rather than taking the safe outlet play. When I see Jake chip the puck off the glass and out, I will say the young man is no longer a stubborn young man. Carlyle got through.

 

[Sundinisagod]

40ish

 

[rdawg1234]

I would think he would get alot more PP minutes with franson (hopefully) gone.

so easily 40 points, he had secondary minutes this season and got going late in the year, plus it was only his 2nd full season which many seem to overlook!

I really see him improving on both ends of the ice this year, but hopefully solidifies himself as a top 4 guy, as well as rielly becoming better as well.

 

[dimi78]

I agree, it will all come down to how well Gardiner plays defensively. Everyone talks about possession but it is this that gets him into trouble at times, trying to get fancy by making every shift a picasso rather than taking the safe outlet play. When I see Jake chip the puck off the glass and out, I will say the young man is no longer a stubborn young man. Carlyle got through.

When he starts to play that way is the day the Leafs should trade him cause it will be the end of him of ever becoming a player of significance the same with Rielly.

It's obvious that your an old school talent skill killing mind of hockey... Get with the times dude and learn to allow a players talents decide what they can & can't do other wise hockey would be boring with NO STAR PLAYERS.

The best part of Gardiner and why he's viewed highly is the part you keep bashing. Unless he's Doughty cause you know we turn a blind eye in that case. YOU CAN'T BECOME A STAR BY PLAYING SAFE. That's how you ruin high end talent. Gardiner needs to be deaf to people of your view point. EXPERIANCE playing his game is how he will find that medium... not by placing shackles of dumb down no talent safe hockey.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

When he starts to play that way is the day the Leafs should trade him cause it will be the end of him of ever becoming a player of significance the same with Rielly.

It's obvious that your an old school talent skill killing mind of hockey... Get with the times dude and learn to allow a players talents decide what they can & can't do other wise hockey would be boring with NO STAR PLAYERS.

The best part of Gardiner and why he's viewed highly is the part you keep bashing. Unless he's Doughty cause you know we turn a blind eye in that case. YOU CAN'T BECOME A STAR BY PLAYING SAFE. That's how you ruin high end talent. Gardiner needs to be deaf to people of your view point. EXPERIANCE playing his game is how he will find that medium... not by placing shackles of dumb down no talent safe hockey.

Simply, I just want his brain to catch up with his talent, for all one says I do not like Gardiner, no one can say I have ever said he is not a very talented player. It's his head I worry about.

 

[-DeMo-]

I expect 30-40 but realistically I couldn't care less about the offense, I care more that he starts figuring out the defensive side and makes big improvements on that end of the ice, don't care if he didn't get a single point, Defense is where the emphasis needs to be put on this upcoming year.

 

[diceman934]

I agree, it will all come down to how well Gardiner plays defensively. Everyone talks about possession but it is this that gets him into trouble at times, trying to get fancy by making every shift a picasso rather than taking the safe outlet play. When I see Jake chip the puck off the glass and out, I will say the young man is no longer a stubborn young man. Carlyle got through.

When you see a defenseman chip the puck off the glass you are witnessing a giveaway in most cases. Understanding the game of hockey has changed is the first step towards understand what you are watching. The fact that we turn over the puck so much is a direct result of having cement heads for players. Dion, Franson, Gleason, Fraser all cement heads their possession stats and shots against while in the ice were among the worse in the league.
We used to line up two D man behind the center on faceoffs and the wingers at the hash marks on D zone faceoffs...the game has evolved...possession is now far more important as you now can not get away with holding, holding the man up etc to help create time and space for your partners. Now we need fast skating D who can make a tape to tape pass to someone who is moving. A good skating Dman who is a good passer of the puck but can skate it out is the most valued type Deal man as teams have to defend both.
When Gardiner and Rielly were paired together they allowed less shots against because they simply did not make a stupid pass up the boards to a static winger who was covered or hard around the boards to no one but the opponents D man....Dion's favorite along with icing the puck. Transitioning the puck from defense to offense without chipping it away creates offense as well as limits scoring chances against.

 

[Cor]

In his two full seasons he has put up 30 points and should the shortened season have been 82 games he would have been 30+ then too.

So, I went with 30-40 points, and hopefully he is more towards 40.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

When you see a defenseman chip the puck off the glass you are witnessing a giveaway in most cases. Understanding the game of hockey has changed is the first step towards understand what you are watching. The fact that we turn over the puck so much is a direct result of having cement heads for players. Dion, Franson, Gleason, Fraser all cement heads their possession stats and shots against while in the ice were among the worse in the league.
We used to line up two D man behind the center on faceoffs and the wingers at the hash marks on D zone faceoffs...

When Gardiner and Rielly were paired together they allowed less shots against because they simply did not make a stupid pass up the boards to a static winger who was covered or hard around the boards to no one but the opponents D man....Dion's favorite along with icing the puck. Transitioning the puck from defense to offense without chipping it away creates offense as well as limits scoring chances against.

Chipping the puck out is the safe play when there is no safer play available, playing a more conservative play can never be the wrong play when you are a defenceman. No on is advocating for Gardiner to play like a defensive defenceman, all we are asking is for him to not force plays that seem to be his stubborn pattern.

What is unknown is how he can adapt to a system where we are protecting a lead, there is no need to take chances when a team is protecting the lead. Gardiner seems to think there is only one way of playing, that is a rover type of game.

He does not need to do this, good defenceman move the puck quickly that play to the situation of the game. It takes hockey IQ to make an effective first pass to get the team out of it's own zone, less own zone time, better defence. Gardiner has not shown this yet on a consistent basis, his out is to hold the puck, think, and rush the puck out, he needs to get the mindset the puck moves faster than a player.