News Article: What does the future hold for Toronto Maple Leafs Defense?

[Drytoast]

Our weakness on defense is vastly overstated. We need a partner for Rielly and maybe some tweaking, that's really it.

If it was:

Rielly (Legit Partner)
Gardiner Zaitsev
Hainsey Borgman

.... that's a great defense. Rielly's partner doesn't even have to be the elite #1 everyone thinks we need.

Hainsey has been great for Reilly. Litterally EVERYONE has been gushing at the improved play of Rielly due to his dependable partner in Hainsey. I have no words for why you think otherwise?

 

[Cor]

Timoth will be on the team next year. 1 year in the AHL like Nylander will be enough.

 

[Drytoast]

I have to agree with this opinion, the more we see Gardiner reverting back to "bad Jake", the more management will conclude this is a permanently flawed player. The Jake of late is as bad as we've seen in the Babcock era, he's a liability right now, a tire fire in his decision making. We will see good Jake again, and we will love him again... but I'm convinced it's just temporary, it looks like he just can't put it all together. You can upgrade your top 4 by replacing Gardiner, he isn't anywhere near an ideal option. I like Jake but he is the most maddening talent.

I've lost patience with him. He's what? 26? It's not that his partner is bad, it's that he's locked in a mindset of "offense first" all the time. He makes bad decisions and is easy to strip the puck off of.

I don't care how many assists he gets, he causes more goals against than not. He's a complete liability and we need to ditch him.

 

[DarkKnight]

I've lost patience with him. He's what? 26? It's not that his partner is bad, it's that he's locked in a mindset of "offense first" all the time. He makes bad decisions and is easy to strip the puck off of.

I don't care how many assists he gets, he causes more goals against than not. He's a complete liability and we need to ditch him.

He's 27.

 

[Drytoast]

He's 27.

More of a reason to conclude that he won't break these habbits.

This is one of the 2 goals he directly caused last game.

And classic Gardiner. He peels away from the front of our net (high danger aarea) to double up/puck watch the player behind our net (very low danger area). And while I would have preferred he stayed in front to take the path away from anyone wanting to get in our slot...ALL HE HAD TO DO HERE WAS DROP TO A KNEE. He drops to a knee to make himself wide and solid...the pass likely hits him.

But Gardiner is thinking offense first. He wants the puck to hit his stick and be standing and ready so he can skate it out or make some idiotic high danger short pass that's likely intercepted. So he does that terrible standing crap and the puck easily goes through him. And guess who scores here? The guy that is now in the area Gardiner left to go double up on a guy in a low danger area...

Do you know how often this happens? At least once a game.

And on these boards, people would blame Zietsev for this goal. Or Polak...I honestly don't know what games you guys all watch. But I'm going to post Gardiner's mishaps from now on until it sinks in that he's a waste of time now.

 

[mulefarm]

How in the world do you conclude Jake is thinking offense? Great that you have enough time to follow and post Jake's mishaps. Please don't post the positive plays he makes!

 

[SprDaVE]

I would fully expect a big signing or acquisition for the defence in the near future (1-2 years?). I can almost guarantee it.

 

[Drytoast]

How in the world do you conclude Jake is thinking offense? Great that you have enough time to follow and post Jake's mishaps. Please don't post the positive plays he makes!

I don't care how many assists he has. He's a liability on the back end. We have more than enough offense up front. We don't need his offense. You have two choices here;

- either he's too lazy to take a knee to make himself wider to block the pass
- or he's thinking offense first and if he's successful in blocking that pass he's standing and can immediatly do something with the puck.

Either way it's bad decision making. He shouldn't have even left the slot area to begin with to double up on a person who isn't scoring anything behind the net and whom Kadri is already pressuring. So he followed up 1 bad decision with another here.

He's completely useless in our zone.

 

[PromisedLand]

I would fully expect a big signing or acquisition for the defence in the near future (1-2 years?). I can almost guarantee it.

If Karlsson wants to win cups....

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

I don't think the Leafs defence is that much different than most other teams, Some good players, some guys you don't feel comfortable with all the time, and then some optimistic prospects.
Cap considerations almost force teams to develop their own. Are signing UFA Dmen in their late 20s to max contract a good idea? I don't know.
Leafs are lining up to have Zaitsev, Reilly, Borgman, Liljgren Dermot, as regulars in 2019/20. Is there room for a high priced UFA? or do the Leafs fill in with a Hainsey type player for a year or two?

 

[WTFMAN99]

I don't think the Leafs defence is that much different than most other teams, Some good players, some guys you don't feel comfortable with all the time, and then some optimistic prospects.
Cap considerations almost force teams to develop their own. Are signing UFA Dmen in their late 20s to max contract a good idea? I don't know.
Leafs are lining up to have Zaitsev, Reilly, Borgman, Liljgren Dermot, as regulars in 2019/20. Is there room for a high priced UFA? or do the Leafs fill in with a Hainsey type player for a year or two?

I think that the Leafs would make a mistake not giving a partner capable of handling top pairing duties to Morgan Rielly. No different then Dion Phaneuf before him...maybe capable of matching up against other teams top 6 forwards but you can't put him with Carl Gunnarsson and expect that to happen.

 

[Drytoast]

I think that the Leafs would make a mistake not giving a partner capable of handling top pairing duties to Morgan Rielly. No different then Dion Phaneuf before him...maybe capable of matching up against other teams top 6 forwards but you can't put him with Carl Gunnarsson and expect that to happen.

Hainsey is to Reilly as Methot was to Karlsson.

And a good reason as to the increase in Reilly's production and play this year. He is EXACTLY who you want paired with Reilly.

You guys baffle me sometimes...

 

[therealkoho]

I've lost patience with him. He's what? 26? It's not that his partner is bad, it's that he's locked in a mindset of "offense first" all the time. He makes bad decisions and is easy to strip the puck off of.

I don't care how many assists he gets, he causes more goals against than not. He's a complete liability and we need to ditch him.

he's also developed this bad habit of turning his back on the play when collapsing to the net, I've got no idea why he thinks there could be an advantage in doing this

his total lack of physicality is also disturbing, there have been more then a few times in the last 5 games where he could have separated the man from the puck with a simple shoulder but he just watches the guy float around the corner with the puck, he needs more coffee and red meat

 

[therealkoho]

Hainsey is to Reilly as Methot was to Karlsson.

And a good reason as to the increase in Reilly's production and play this year. He is EXACTLY who you want paired with Reilly.

You guys baffle me sometimes...

don't disagree with this, Hainsey has helped Rielly immensely, with positioning and giving Rielly the nod when to skate the puck out and lead the rush

I'd also like to see Borgman paired with Zaitsev and put Polak and Carrick together

Jake needs to watch some games and see what it takes to play in the NHL

 

[Mr Hockey]

Hainsey is to Reilly as Methot was to Karlsson.

And a good reason as to the increase in Reilly's production and play this year. He is EXACTLY who you want paired with Reilly.

You guys baffle me sometimes...

R >ie< lly ... ie not ei

 

[WTFMAN99]

Hainsey is to Reilly as Methot was to Karlsson.

And a good reason as to the increase in Reilly's production and play this year. He is EXACTLY who you want paired with Reilly.

You guys baffle me sometimes...

Someone didn't read the blog

I like Hainsey...he pretty much fits exactly you'd want for Rielly...except his age.

 

[Drytoast]

Someone didn't read the blog

I like Hainsey...he pretty much fits exactly you'd want for Rielly...except his age.

We have a year or two to figure out a replacment.

 

[Drytoast]

I would fully expect a big signing or acquisition for the defence in the near future (1-2 years?). I can almost guarantee it.

Package Gardiner and a first or a prospect to Phoenix for OEL. He's going to want 8-9 mil. If Phoenix doesn't want to pay that they get a puck moving defensmen who comes in cheaper and a prospect or a 1st round pick.

Phoneix still doesn't have an owner so I don't see them paying to the cap wall.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Package Gardiner and a first or a prospect to Phoenix for OEL. He's going to want 8-9 mil. If Phoenix doesn't want to pay that they get a puck moving defensmen who comes in cheaper and a prospect or a 1st round pick.

Phoneix still doesn't have an owner so I don't see them paying to the cap wall.

I don't see it. Gardiner has the exact same amount of time remaining on his contract as OEL. Gardiner might command less (5-5.5M per) but OEL should get 7-8.5M...and at that point I think Arizona simply puts out the difference. Only difference would be OEL likely going to leave Arizona and Gardiner would be silly to agree to an extension in Arizona...

 

[Ziggdiezan]

I would like to see Gardiner with a different partner this season before I make a decision on a resign.

Undoubtedly Zaitsev statistically has dragged down his partners stats.... Gardiner makes more obvious errors so people fixate on them but Zaitsev never seems to make himself open for an outlet putting Gardiner under tons of pressure and has been doing this weird blind cleaance around the boards that gets picked off at the blue line way too much recently.

Gardiner hasn't been playing great but unfortunately no partner of Zaitsev has ever excelled in the NHL.

 

[The Podium]

Gardiner will be resigned and they will get him a dependable partner. So you will have Reilly-Lilly, Gardiner-?,Dermott-Zatisev. Borgman.

Unfortunately Gardiner cannot be signed long term if this team has any hopes too improve defensively. The way this team is build too much of the cap will be allotted to the forwards long term. Therefore we dont have the luxury of signing a #3/4Dman to a 5-7 mill contract. That cap needs to be saved for whenever a #1D becomes available (UFA, trade, prospect progression requiring a huge bonus).

If Gardiner wants to come back on a 3-4 year contract than all the power too him, but at 28 hell want to be signed through till his mid 30s and the Leafs cant be tied up like that at the moment.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Hainsey has been great for Reilly. Litterally EVERYONE has been gushing at the improved play of Rielly due to his dependable partner in Hainsey. I have no words for why you think otherwise?

I don't think otherwise. Hainsey has done a great job.

But long term, he's only got a year or two left, and ideally we would have someone more talented to play with Rielly.

 

[Drytoast]

I don't think otherwise. Hainsey has done a great job.

But long term, he's only got a year or two left, and ideally we would have someone more talented to play with Rielly.

It's a short term fix for sure.

 

[Leaf4Life]

More of a reason to conclude that he won't break these habbits.

This is one of the 2 goals he directly caused last game.

And classic Gardiner. He peels away from the front of our net (high danger aarea) to double up/puck watch the player behind our net (very low danger area). And while I would have preferred he stayed in front to take the path away from anyone wanting to get in our slot...ALL HE HAD TO DO HERE WAS DROP TO A KNEE. He drops to a knee to make himself wide and solid...the pass likely hits him.

But Gardiner is thinking offense first. He wants the puck to hit his stick and be standing and ready so he can skate it out or make some idiotic high danger short pass that's likely intercepted. So he does that terrible standing crap and the puck easily goes through him. And guess who scores here? The guy that is now in the area Gardiner left to go double up on a guy in a low danger area...

Do you know how often this happens? At least once a game.

And on these boards, people would blame Zietsev for this goal. Or Polak...I honestly don't know what games you guys all watch. But I'm going to post Gardiner's mishaps from now on until it sinks in that he's a waste of time now.

Agree.

Gardiner thinks the game about as quick as a log. His hockey IQ is near negative territory on the defensive side of things.

 

[MapleLeafistan]

The D will grow slowly...over this season I expect them to gradually get better.