It is either keep Gardiner down getting 25+ minutes a night in the AHL while we are playing very well and winning, or we essentially lose one of our other guys who have stepped up and proven they can play NHL minutes, for nothing. I think all of our guys on the team now have to go through waivers, and Gardiner is also getting close AFAIK.
I don't think he comes up until there is a trade, at least not while we are winning. It is not a reflection on him. It is a reflection on how the team is playing.
As for how he has been playing, no he hasn't been *as* completely dominate as he was to start this season, but it takes time to re-gain the conditioning lost by having to sit on the couch for months (many people don't seem to realize this, it is worse in terms of rehabilitation than the concussion itself), and he has still been very good. One must also remember that our Marlies team is much worse now. They lost Kadri, Frattin, Aucoin, Holzer, Fraser, Kostka, Scrivens... You could count Komarov too. That's essentially the whole top line, 3 of the top-4 D, and the #1 goalie. Makes anybody look worse.
Gardiner is better than guys on the team right now. It is more a matter of asset management.