Sweenbot said:
I am in the same boat. For me, he keeps making the same mistakes. Bad pinches, giveaways, losing his man, and his offensive game isn't good enough to forgive these constant mistakes. I haven't been a fan of his all season, I was really hoping to see him progress and I don't think he has or will.
And yet, among defencemen, when Gardiner is on the ice, the Leafs have the highest percentage of shot attempts, shots, and scoring chances when Gardiner is on the ice. When he's on the ice, the Leafs have allowed the 2nd least amount of scoring chances against per 60 minutes, the 3rd lowest GA/60, tied for the 2nd highest GF% and goals for per 60 minutes.
So, I mean, the mistakes you see are obviously not as frequent as you make them out to be, and not having that significant an impact. On top of that, his offensive skills are more than making up for whatever defensive deficiencies you believe he has.