Never thought I'd ask this question, are Leafs missing Dermott and Gardiner more than anticipated?

[Leafsfan74]

They were really starting to play some strong team defense before the injuries, the last 5 games or so have been horrific.

Outside of weaker than average goaltending, are Leafs missing these two D Men this much? Will we learn to appreciate them more upon their return?

Click to read more...

 

[Cor]

I hope everyone who bashes Gardiner shuts up now.

Unfortunately, I doubt he plays another game this year.

Hopefully Dermott and Rosen are back soon

 

[Jozay]

People who thought Gardiner was a bad dman are getting exposed now lol.

 

[joe dirte]

They were really starting to play some strong team defense before the injuries, the last 5 games or so have been horrific.

Outside of weaker than average goaltending, are Leafs missing these two D Men this much? Will we learn to appreciate them more upon their return?

Theyre not missing them more than i thought.

Gardiner is a critical part of the team. And dermotts importance has been steadily increasing.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Yes they're missed.

But they're not the glue that holds the team together.

 

[Leafsfan74]

I hope everyone who bashes Gardiner shuts up now.

Unfortunately, I doubt he plays another game this year.

Hopefully Dermott and Rosen are back soon

Have they stated he won't return?

 

[Buds17]

Tough to subtract two regulars from a group of six, with one of those out having played the second most minutes. Tougher still when next in line option(s) are also unavailable.

 

[LeafGrief]

Team is falling apart for much bigger reasons than Dermott and Gardiner, but yes we really do miss them.

 

[yubbers]

Yup

I'll eat a shit sandwich on that one. I still think we should move Gardiner if he wants anything north of 5 but his absence is glaring,

 

[KE19]

People who thought Gardiner was a bad dman are getting exposed now lol.

He'll be gone in the offseason either way, so we're going to have to learn to live without him.

 

[XXIV97]

Gardiner is going to get paid this offseason

 

[dubey]

Have they stated he won't return?

They said during the 2nd intermission he's recovering slower than expected

"doubt he plays another game this year" is a bit dramatic

 

[Warden of the North]

Theyre half of our top 4.

I dont know how anyone can say we arent missing them.

Aside from Rielly, Dermott, and Gards none of our dmen can clear the zone with puck.

Its unfortunate that Rosen is hurt too.

 

[Morgs]

Nope. This was honestly expected lol.

Gardiner is probably the 3rd best defenseman in the league anchoring a 2nd pairing (behind subban and burns) and probably our best 5v5 defensive defenseman.

Dermott is probably the best 3rd pairing defenseman in the entire league, and probably our 3rd best 5v5 defensive defenseman.

They're also both the strong transition player on their pairing. Losing one of those guys hurts, losing both is crippling.

 

[Pookie]

Weak D is weaker without them.

No need complaining or speculating as to how to fix it. That’s off season time.

For now, we just hope they get back and at their peak come playoff time.

 

[I am Canadian]

The difference between Gardiner and Dermott and Marincin & Holl is astronomical

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

I seem to remember a lot of people saying that losing Gardiner would be addition by subtraction. About that...

Sandin and Liljegren had better work hard over the offseason, otherwise I'm having trouble seeing how this defense is going to be better next season unless Dubas pulls off a miracle and dumps Hainsey and Zaitsev.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

It should've been extremely obvious to anyone who understands hockey that Gardiner and Dermott are big parts of the team

 

[unitedstars87]

Dermott especially. He was really playing well before getting hurt.
At worst our 4th best dman.

 

[dubplatepressure]

Did anyone actually expect we wouldnt miss them, especially together?!

No one thinks Gardiner is at or below replaceament level - he is much better than Oz, Marincin, Holl and Zaitsev. By a mile. Doesn't mean it's right to sign him to a long term high money contract.

To me, Dermotts loss was the kicker - had he stayed healthy we probably could have endured this. Hopefully we see Rosen soon.

 

[JerseyMike34]

People are going to seriously miss Gardiner.

They just see how he skates, and a missed stretch pass and they freak out that he's useless.

Don't get me wrong, I think Dermott is good, and I believe the hope is that he fills in the role Gardiner is currently filling, but Jake is 2nd on the team for IceTime, he logs A LOT of minutes. It's gonna sting, sting big.

 

[PuckMagi]

We don't stand much of a chance at a cup without Gardiner in top form. Hope he's back for playoffs.

We might have looked alright missing one of Gardiner or Dermott... but missing both makes our defense pretty awful.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I think if we had Dermott around, and Holl never plays another NHL game in his life, we would be fine.

However this putrid defensive effort extends to the forwards as well. So unless these guys start playing to their capabilities, then it does not matter who you plug into that lineup. We are still going to suck.

 

[Menzinger]

They’re the 3-4th best D on the team.

Any team that lost 2/4 would look worse because of it

 

[Torontonian]

For all the shit Jake took on these fourms, people are witnessing just how piss poor our d are without him and Dermott. But remove two top 4 NHL d-man from your roster and replace them with AHL caliber D-man like Marician and Holl and this is what you get, a d-pairing that cant move or skate the puck to save their life

 

[56 Years No Cup]

I hope everyone who bashes Gardiner shuts up now.

Unfortunately, I doubt he plays another game this year.

Hopefully Dermott and Rosen are back soon

Gardiner being out is addition by subtraction. Unfortunately his replacement is AHL level.