Toronto Maple Leafs scratch Jake Gardiner early on in season

The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to scratch Jake Gardiner, per Randy Carlyle

In another somewhat baffling move by Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle, defenseman Jake Gardiner will be a scratch against the New York Rangers this Sunday night.

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Gardiner is no stranger to being the first scratch when things start to go wrong; last January, Carlyle scratched the defenseman despite having the second-most ice time on average for the entire team.

The most likely cause for the scratch this week, per NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk, will be to free up a roster spot for Cody Franson. Franson will be coming back off a knee injury inflicted by Torrey Mitchell (Buffalo Sabres) in a pre-season matchup prior this month. Gardiner seems to be the choice to sit out the game over newcomer Stuart Percy, who has recorded two assists so far this season.

The Leafs are currently sitting with an 0-2-0 record at the start of the 2014-2015 season, which doesn’t look promising for the Atlantic Division team. They are especially desperate to win Sunday night, as the team is looking for its second playoff spot in over a decade this season. It’s likely, should the team continue to do poorly, that Carlyle could lose his job by Christmas. His extension at the end of last season came as a shock to many due to his poor puck possession record while in charge of the franchise.

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