News Article: Jake Gardiner and the Toronto Maple Leafs blueline

[The Winter Soldier]

I have my doubts that it will work but I think it's worth a try.

Why do you have doubts, Jake's leash as he complained about is too tight on D.

If he is playing fwd, the leash will essentially be gone. He is going to be a far more effective player.

I have always said Gardiner was extremely talented. No one can accuse me of ever saying he wasn't. He just doesn't have a head to play defence.

It might be a smashing success!

 

[Gallagbi]

It's been tried before and wasn't very successful.

Dreger mentioned that the Leafs are unlikely to go this route as they see him as a better fit on the blueline. They may give him a game or two on forward in an absolute emergency, but it isn't in their "plans" to move him to forward.

 

[Trapper]

No. 1 center Jake Gardiner.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

To trade Gardiner would just be dumb.

 

[ldnk]

I honestly think the reporter posing the question of Gardiner as a forward is intellectually challenged. Yes, let's take a 20+ minute a night defenseman and play him 15 minutes a night as a forward instead.

 

[diceman934]

I honestly think the reporter posing the question of Gardiner as a forward is intellectually challenged. Yes, let's take a 20+ minute a night defenseman and play him 15 minutes a night as a forward instead.

Yes and to think, some can even think this is a good idea.

 

[King85Kong]

I honestly think the reporter posing the question of Gardiner as a forward is intellectually challenged. Yes, let's take a 20+ minute a night defenseman and play him 15 minutes a night as a forward instead.

Reports and websites need to get paid. That is why you are seeing all these crazy rumors during the off-season. No mention of it the entire season, while he logged 21 min a night and finished the season on the 1st PP unit. But now that it is the off-season, its lightening in a bottle.

Yes and to think, some can even think this is a good idea.

Also sad is that some take what these journalist report as the whole truth, nothing but the truth. Take it with a grain of salt, and judge for yourself if it holds any water. As shown above this rumor makes no sense at all.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Why do you have doubts, Jake's leash as he complained about is too tight on D.

If he is playing fwd, the leash will essentially be gone. He is going to be a far more effective player.

I have always said Gardiner was extremely talented. No one can accuse me of ever saying he wasn't. He just doesn't have a head to play defence.

It might be a smashing success!

If you have been following hockey for as long as you say you have then you should know better and this attitude is a big problem with the Leafs - the forwards seem to think that since they are forwards, they have no defensive responsibility.

Defence is a team game! Until they learn this, the Leafs are going nowhere.

 

[thewave]

If you have been following hockey for as long as you say you have then you should know better and this attitude is a big problem with the Leafs - the forwards seem to think that since they are forwards, they have no defensive responsibility.

Defence is a team game! Until they learn this, the Leafs are going nowhere.

I wish more people around here get that. This so called team defensively is nothing more than a collection of individuals that get razzled under pressure.

It happens over and over and over again.

A good team will for long stretches in a game know where the play is going and where they need to be and what they need to do without breakdown. They are also typically seen as teams that can pass the puck at high tempo with great accuracy.

We are not that team.

 

[91Kadri91*]

Are you saying that the style of play didn't change to end the season? Hell Gardiner was most often up the ice before we even had the puck. When have you ever seen a defensemen first man in on a dump? What are the forwards to do with that?

Things totally changed after the trade deadline. And even Gardiner admitted it in his exit interview. The one where he made an idiotic comparison of himself.

Do you enjoy being an idiot? Genuine question- I'm legitimately interested.

You have the puzzle pieces laying out in front of you, completely assembled; all you have to do is determine the picture. I don't understand why you're having so much difficulty determining what should be blatantly obvious to a mind of (not even) average intelligence.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Why do you have doubts, Jake's leash as he complained about is too tight on D.

If he is playing fwd, the leash will essentially be gone. He is going to be a far more effective player.

I have always said Gardiner was extremely talented. No one can accuse me of ever saying he wasn't. He just doesn't have a head to play defence.

It might be a smashing success!

Gardiners talent is in carrying the puck. There's nothing to indicate he can play a cycle game, in front of the net, how his finish is, or anything really related to be a forward. Anything can happen so maybe it would work, but there's nothing about his game currently that indicates it would.

 

[91Kadri91*]

A player wanting to not be a healthy scratch, to be a key part of a team. God I sure hope we have more players that have high opinions of themselves.

I know some want players that do not want to be key parts of a team. Sign them up! We can all use more low self esteem players that want to be healthy scratches on this team.

This was your smoking gun? What a horrible connecting of the dots.

High-praise coming from the guy who can't 'connect the dots' at a first-grade level.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Gardiners talent is in carrying the puck. There's nothing to indicate he can play a cycle game, in front of the net, how his finish is, or anything really related to be a forward. Anything can happen so maybe it would work, but there's nothing about his game currently that indicates it would.

Bingo. Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[ACC1224]

Gardiners talent is in carrying the puck. There's nothing to indicate he can play a cycle game, in front of the net, how his finish is, or anything really related to be a forward. Anything can happen so maybe it would work, but there's nothing about his game currently that indicates it would.

This for me as well. He's developing fine on the backend, not sure why anyone would want to change that.