I think Gardiner is damaged/set back from his concussion. I also don't think he's conditioned yet to play a long NHL season (or even a 48 game one). he was below average to terrible in the AHL playoffs last season. he was especially bad in the Cup final. I don't think we see Gardiner until next season.
As for Reilly I think he's still 2-3 years away from playing full-time in the NHL.
I think Gardiner is damaged/set back from his concussion. I also don't think he's conditioned yet to play a long NHL season (or even a 48 game one). he was below average to terrible in the AHL playoffs last season. he was especially bad in the Cup final. I don't think we see Gardiner until next season.
As for Reilly I think he's still 2-3 years away from playing full-time in the NHL.
If your not going to clear the crease, then you better be able to make the occasional offensive play out of nothing IMO. Both kostka and gunnarsson aren't about to clear the crease or lay down consistent punishment, nor are they particularly good offensively. We need offensive players on our D. Phaneuf has a big shot, but that's about it, Both Fraser and holzer have looked good as stay at home defenders and play the body routinely. They aren't expected to produce offensively...
We need some offense. Our puck control/movement on the backend has been pretty poor, IMO it's what separated us from Ottawa yesterday.
You can literally see his mind working in overdrive trying to figure out what his next move is. Slow decision making, but makes mostly smart decisions (in the defensive zone especially) and is playing solid. Not much offensive upside (that's the area where watching him is painful), but he's solid and makes responsible decisions in the defensive zone. Good depth guy/bottom pairing guy. I was also impressed with how he handled himself being used far too much at the start of the season (although he did have a jump on a lot of guys considering he was playing all year), he was out of his depth but played solid for the most part. I like him, exceeded my expectations for sure.Am I the only one who isn't all that impressed with Kostka? he looks pretty "meh"
Not a fan of the guy.
Great story, but was so Lombardi scoring in his first game here.
Personally wouldn't have him in the lineup ahead of Liles or Gardiner. He's not terrible, and can be quietly efficient. But when he gets into that head on a swivel thing, it always ends with a quality scoring chance against.
Kostka has turned into the most underrated Leaf on this forum. Thank god the coach and GM don't suffer from stigmatizations like people do around here.
Some people can't function without a whipping boy.
Some people can't function without a whipping boy.
Or just maybe they watch him play and aren't impressed.
Last night has no bearing on my opinion of Kostka, I think he's a marginal NHL talent that can fill in when injuries, good depth guy. His decision making is painfully slow, he has a tendency to pass the puck right in front of net, he can't skate, he can't run an NHL power play and he can't clear the net AT ALL. Gunner has struggled but the guy was INJURED, and he's also PROVEN himself in this league as reliable, steady and solid. Kostka is a scratch by end of season is my prediction.Nah, if you were watching you'd notice Gunnarsson has been a black hole this year, much worse than Kostka.
But even then, the defense hasn't been that bad. 1 game doesnt change that. Some people need to assign the blame for an entire game on a single player.