Jake Gardiner Back On The Naughty List This December
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner might become a scratch once again
If you’re a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, being frustrated with Jake Gardiner isn’t exactly a new thing. #FreeJakeGardiner, indeed.
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The blue liner, drafted in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, was a part of the trade that brought Joffrey Lupul to Toronto and Francois Beauchemin to California in 2011 — and since then, he’s been no stranger to the press box.
Despite recording the second highest ATOI for the Leafs last season, Gardiner was a healthy scratch more than once for what Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle considered shaky defense — and only a year later, it looks like nothing has changed.
In an interview on the Canadian Press, Carlyle said that Gardiner has been ‘very erratic’ — and he’s not wrong. The blue liner is as known for his offensive prowess as he is for forgetting to mark man-to-man during the game; even when the Leafs win, Gardiner tends to finish with more harm than benefit to his underlying stats.
The team has him under contract for another four seasons after this one, but his minus-eleven to start the 2014-2015 season doesn’t bode well for his future in Toronto. As is evidenced by the numerous trade rumors floating around the league regarding Arizona Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle, there are a number of teams around the league that would kill for a two-way defenseman — and with the obvious gaps in Carlyle’s defensive system, it might be worth the team’s while to shop the 24-year-old around the league a bit. He — and, more importantly, his $4.5 million cap hit — certainly aren’t helping the team from their perch in the press box.
In the instance that he’s a healthy scratch this weekend, Jake Gardiner would be replaced in the lineup by Korbinian Holzer, suggests NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk.
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