Jake Gardiner

[GhostofPotvin29]

Honestly, I'm more perplexed that Liles and Komisarek have been sitting for so long. I mean, these guys are on the roster and Carlyle is still ignoring them. And they weren't even playing all that poorly before this indefinite benching. Carlyle was giving Liles 20+ minutes of ice-time per game, and Komisarek was only on the ice for 1 even-strength goal against in the 4 games he suited up for.

And Liles came out after a 3-0 win, so it's not like it was a response to a terrible game.

Sends a really clear message to those considering signing in Toronto. Show loyalty and sign a long term deal to reasonable contract and get scratched for 10 games straight to two guys with 2 total NHL games collectively coming into the season.

I really don't think players care that much about that when choosing to sign somewhere.  If they did, wouldn't demoting Finger have already done that? Or wouldn't demoting Redden have done that to the Rangers?

Well those players were actually playing bad, and probably deserved it.

It's not like Liles was playing lights out, and the advanced metrics have him behind Holzer and Kostka when quality of competition is taken into account.  Regardless, doubt any free agent would care about these guys not playing.  McClement and MacArthur were free agent signings that have been relied upon a lot since signing here.

 

[Kin]

Sends a really clear message to those considering signing in Toronto. Show loyalty and sign a long term deal to reasonable contract and get scratched for 10 games straight to two guys with 2 total NHL games collectively coming into the season.

I don't think it's any different from the standard any other team in the league would set. I think every free agent knows that if they sign a long term deal with anyone for any price they're still liable to get benched if they don't play up to a certain standard.

 

[caver]

Honestly, I'm more perplexed that Liles and Komisarek have been sitting for so long. I mean, these guys are on the roster and Carlyle is still ignoring them. And they weren't even playing all that poorly before this indefinite
benching. Carlyle was giving Liles 20+ minutes of ice-time per game, and Komisarek was only on the ice for 1 even-strength goal against in the 4 games he suited up for.

I am not sure what he is trying to prove either. Carlyle seems to be one stubbornly loyal SOB.  To me this is total misuse of your depth when you have 2 Nhl dmen sitting in the press box when you are playing 4 in 6 nights and could really use the fresh legs.  Gunnar, kostka, Fraser and holtzer have all looked slow and tired at times this year and should be given a night off to recharge.

Good point. There is no excuse for tired legs when you have players in the press box.

 

[Hampreacher]

Judging by comments on the power play especially the 5 on 3 against Winnipeg what Leafs need on the power play is a quarterback for the powerplay. The solution Jake Gardiner.

 

[Jalili]

Judging by comments on the power play especially the 5 on 3 against Winnipeg what Leafs need on the power play is a quarterback for the powerplay. The solution Jake Gardiner.

Not only that, his exceptional skating and ability to rush the puck forward would instantly make the leafs offense more menacing for opposition.

 

[hockeyfan1]

From:
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/50582-Time-in-AHL-will-pay-off-for-Jake-Gardiner-Maple-Leafs.html

When former Maple Leafs center and current San Jose Sharks broadcaster Jamie Baker recently remembered his time as an NHLer in the Toronto fishbowl, he recalled some words of wisdom from a franchise legend.

?When I got traded to Toronto, Wendel Clark gave me some great advice,? Baker said. ?He told me, ?The media will make you better than you are or worse than you are, but you?re never going to be what you really are.??

The increased attention that comes with wearing the Blue and White amplifies everything about the Leafs. And in this case, while it?s true Gardiner doesn?t want to be playing for the Marlies,..

Gardiner was sent down in the first place because the Buds finally have some depth on the blueline and didn?t need to ask the 22-year-old to play a large role in the NHL for the team to succeed. That should be viewed as a huge positive....

Nazem Kadri clearly benefitted from his years in the AHL. Nobody doubts there were many nights Kadri didn?t want to be there, didn?t want to ride buses instead of charter planes, didn?t want to accept he had a good ways to go before he was in position to really impact games at the NHL level. But he bit his lip, paid his dues and is now a more complete player.

Gardiner won?t get that call today or tomorrow, even if team brass wanted to. To bring him up after this sequence of events would send the wrong message to other Leafs players dealing with varying degrees of malcontent. However, blowing this out of proportion and painting Gardiner as a bad seed or spoiled kid isn?t the answer, either.

 

[Highlander]

Great post and it bodes well for the leafs to be able to keep the Kadri's and Gardiners down and get seasoned. As much as I want Jake to come back right now its going to be a good thing

 

[bustaheims]

Great post and it bodes well for the leafs to be able to keep the Kadri's and Gardiners down and get seasoned. As much as I want Jake to come back right now its going to be a good thing

That's just it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a good prospect in the AHL until he's more than ready. No player worth anything has ever been ruined by getting more AHL time than he needed.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Great post and it bodes well for the leafs to be able to keep the Kadri's and Gardiners down and get seasoned. As much as I want Jake to come back right now its going to be a good thing

That's just it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a good prospect in the AHL until he's more than ready. No player worth anything has ever been ruined by getting more AHL time than he needed.

I mean, shouldn't Nazem Kadri be the prime example?

 

[bustaheims]

I mean, shouldn't Nazem Kadri be the prime example?

He's certainly a pretty good one.

 

[Kin]

I mean, shouldn't Nazem Kadri be the prime example?

He's certainly a pretty good one.

He's a good example that some players need more AHL time than others maybe but I don't think the Leafs kept Kadri down when he was clearly ready for the NHL. He was pretty bad in his cracks at the NHL before he stuck.

Gardiner isn't really the same.

 

[Frank E]

I mean, shouldn't Nazem Kadri be the prime example?

He's certainly a pretty good one.

He's a good example that some players need more AHL time than others maybe but I don't think the Leafs kept Kadri down when he was clearly ready for the NHL. He was pretty bad in his cracks at the NHL before he stuck.

Gardiner isn't really the same.

He didn't look too good in his couple of games this year though.

 

[Kin]

He didn't look too good in his couple of games this year though.

I thought he was alright against the Penguins and then the Islanders game was a bit of an outlier. If the Leafs were planning demotions based on that night Captain Phantastic would be in the AHL long before Gardiner. 

 

[princedpw]

I mean, shouldn't Nazem Kadri be the prime example?

He's certainly a pretty good one.

He's a good example that some players need more AHL time than others maybe but I don't think the Leafs kept Kadri down when he was clearly ready for the NHL. He was pretty bad in his cracks at the NHL before he stuck.

Gardiner isn't really the same.

I myself don't have the eye for the game necessary to discern this sort of thing, but there were some people who felt that Gardiner had quite a bit of work to do on the defensive side of the game.  Hence, it may be the case that while many aspects of his game are more-than-ready for prime time, perhaps some aspects are not.  Perhaps the ample AHL ice time he is getting will allow him to spend more time working on some of his weakenesses and that will make him a more well-rounded player.

 

[Kin]

I myself don't have the eye for the game necessary to discern this sort of thing, but there were some people who felt that Gardiner had quite a bit of work to do on the defensive side of the game.  Hence, it may be the case that while many aspects of his game are more-than-ready for prime time, perhaps some aspects are not.  Perhaps the ample AHL ice time he is getting will allow him to spend more time working on some of his weakenesses and that will make him a more well-rounded player.

To me though that's somewhat of a separate issue. Kadri was someone who was kept in the AHL until he could contribute as a NHL player. Gardiner, you're saying(or saying by proxy anyways) is someone who can contribute at the NHL level but is in the AHL because the AHL is the preferable place for a player if he has room to grow.

So to me they're very different cases. In Kadri's case the only argument to have him in the NHL before now was that you think that the NHL is where a talented player should be regardless of whether or not they're ready for it(which isn't as stupid as it sounds as the Bruins pretty clearly went that route with Joe Thornton).

As for Gardiner, I don't think what you're saying jives with the actual perception of Gardiner and the way he'd been used until now. I'd bet, for instance, that if you went through the posts of this off-season and last year's posts that while you'd almost certainly find some people who said Gardiner had areas of his game that needed development you wouldn't find very many if any posts that said that he shouldn't have been in the NHL or that despite his successes it would be better for him and the club in the long term if he'd been kept in the minors. That argument, understanding that you're not making it, strikes me as really just an appeal to authority that alters depending on what the authority says at a given moment.

 

[moon111]

I mean, shouldn't Nazem Kadri be the prime example?

He's certainly a pretty good one.

He's a good example that some players need more AHL time than others maybe but I don't think the Leafs kept Kadri down when he was clearly ready for the NHL. He was pretty bad in his cracks at the NHL before he stuck.

Gardiner isn't really the same.

He didn't look too good in his couple of games this year though.

Lupul didn't set the world on fire in his first three either.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Mirtle just re-tweeted this:

Leafs get 3 years of Gardiner at under $1.2MM. Burning one on last year's team was a bummer. Burning 2nd in AHL is inexcusable.

 

[bustaheims]

Mirtle just re-tweeted this:

Leafs get 3 years of Gardiner at under $1.2MM. Burning one on last year's team was a bummer. Burning 2nd in AHL is inexcusable.

Sure, if you don't take into consideration the very real possibility that playing this season with the Marlies could lead to his next contract having a smaller cap number than had he played the year with the Leafs.

 

[Corn Flake]

Mirtle just re-tweeted this:

Leafs get 3 years of Gardiner at under $1.2MM. Burning one on last year's team was a bummer. Burning 2nd in AHL is inexcusable.

Sure, if you don't take into consideration the very real possibility that playing this season with the Marlies could lead to his next contract having a smaller cap number than had he played the year with the Leafs.

lol @ "inexcusable".  Love the terminology these unbiased, objective media use sometimes.  Clearly he's jumping to that conclusion without considering your point which is probably going to save the Leafs huge money on the next contract... not that I think its why they are keeping him down longer. 

Gardiner was probably looking at PK Subban'ish level money had he been able to stay healthy and put together a 2nd full season like last year.  Now, he's probably going to get Cody Franson money.

 

[Deebo]

Mirtle just re-tweeted this:

Leafs get 3 years of Gardiner at under $1.2MM. Burning one on last year's team was a bummer. Burning 2nd in AHL is inexcusable.

Sure, if you don't take into consideration the very real possibility that playing this season with the Marlies could lead to his next contract having a smaller cap number than had he played the year with the Leafs.

lol @ "inexcusable".  Love the terminology these unbiased, objective media use sometimes.  Clearly he's jumping to that conclusion without considering your point which is probably going to save the Leafs huge money on the next contract... not that I think its why they are keeping him down longer. 

Gardiner was probably looking at PK Subban'ish level money had he been able to stay healthy and put together a 2nd full season like last year.  Now, he's probably going to get Cody Franson money.

His performance next season will have a great deal of impact too.