It’s not just that. Pitkanen was *dominant* in the O zone. He would do that Euro thing we’ve seen Necas and Aho do where they take a lap around the O zone, dangling, looking for the gap to expose itself. Pitkanen found seams in defensive coverage and threaded passes to guys in a position to one-time the puck into a yawning cage. He was great on the boards because he kept himself upright, was strong on his skates, and could overpower the defender trying to clear the puck. He would’ve been a monster in a system like this that allows defensemen to pinch early and often. And let’s just leave the D zone out of the comparison, because Gardiner’s play in CAR matches what we heard of his play in TOR to a tee.
Gardiner’s ability to make a pass didn’t suddenly leave him. He’s so scared to make a play that you can see it on his face.
Compare Gardiner to Pitkanen at your own risk. There’s plenty of old farts in HFCanes who were here when Pitkanen played here, we know the difference between what we saw and what we’re seeing.