Should Gardiner be traded prior to the deadline?

Should Gardiner be traded prior to the trade deadline?


  • Total voters
    326

Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
77,850
51,520
At this point, I'd consider trading him in a hockey deal prior to the deadline if one presents itself.
 
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Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
77,850
51,520
I think many people's frustration with Jake (mine especially) is you just don't know which one is going to show up on a given night. When he's on, he's a smooth, fast skating offensive D who can back the other team off allowing great zone entry. Good passer too, (for the most part). Those GD stretch passes drive me nuts, but that's more on the system than on him.

Gardiner just has too big of a variance in terms of his level of play. Some nights he looks like Paul Coffey, but then you have nights where he looks like he won a contest to play for the Leafs but has better plans after the game. Why he can be so casual sometimes is just mindboggling.
 
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fahad203

Registered User
Oct 3, 2009
36,043
18,878
Traded, waived, contract terminated. I kind of don't care to be honest
I just want him gone
 

SeaOfBlue

The Passion That Unites Us All
Aug 1, 2013
35,591
16,773
At this point, I'd consider trading him in a hockey deal prior to the deadline if one presents itself.

I agree.

I do not think anyone in their right mind is suggesting just selling him off for futures and not using them to get immediate help on defense...

But there is no reason, unless you just think Gardiner is just some irreplaceable piece of this team (which he really is not, and we are going to have to do it in like 6 months regardless), that you would not trade him to get a better defenseman. Either directly or more likely indirectly. If the offers suck or the prices on other guys are ridiculous, that is a different story, but if you are just making him 100% untouchable, that is a huge mistake... Even for a competing team.
 

nuck

Schrodingers Cat
Aug 18, 2005
11,340
2,422
I would move Gardiner for someone who can play better defensively, or someone with a bigtime shot (the lack of which has made our PP and zone control predictable and stale.) I'd even bundle a pick with him for a guy who could do both of those things well.

Who ever this player is must also be effective at making simple zone exit passes. A quality which is not rare in the NHL but that we've severed lacked for too damn long.


People hate to hear it, but like with JVR and Bozak there is an element of addition by subtraction with non-competitive, defensive liabilities like Gards.

Gardner for asset. Asset plus pick for Muzzin. Muzzin is better defensively and is on a $4M deal for another season. Two playoff runs. After that you resign Muzzin or Dermott is in the #2 LD spot.
That doesn't solve the RD hole but it makes the team better. Josh Manson will cost something more but those two change the butter soft D corp to one that can play any type of game.
 
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