Jake Gardiner

[Redleaf]

Whether or not Jake makes this team on opening night is irrelevant to me at this point. He will secure a spot on the roster in the not too distant future, and boy is he fun to watch. I heard Bowen comparing him to Phil Housley last night, which is quite the compliment for the youngster. Finally the Leafs have a real high end prospect in the organization, and the sky's the limit for this kid! I may be jumping the gun here by a mile, but.... Calder??? 

http://www.thestar.com/article/1062979--feschuk-gardiner-making-it-hard-for-leafs-to-cut-him

This goal is a beaut....

http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=125662

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

So why exactly did Anaheim trade him again?

 

[maplesyrup]

Whether or not Jake makes this team opening night is irrelevant to me at this point. He will secure a spot on the roster in the not too distant future, and boy is he fun to watch. I heard Bowen comparing him to Phil Housley last night, which is quite the compliment for the youngster. Finally the Leafs have a real high end prospect in the organization, and the sky's the limit for this kid! I may be jumping the gun here by a mile, but.... Calder??? 

http://www.thestar.com/article/1062979--feschuk-gardiner-making-it-hard-for-leafs-to-cut-him

It's hard imagine with RNH and Landeskog likely making they're clubs and a few other highly touted guys perhaps doing the same. However, he's a guy worth getting excited about for sure. In a short period of time, he may have played his way ahead of Kadri and Colborne as our best prospect. 

 

[Redleaf]

Whether or not Jake makes this team opening night is irrelevant to me at this point. He will secure a spot on the roster in the not too distant future, and boy is he fun to watch. I heard Bowen comparing him to Phil Housley last night, which is quite the compliment for the youngster. Finally the Leafs have a real high end prospect in the organization, and the sky's the limit for this kid! I may be jumping the gun here by a mile, but.... Calder??? 

http://www.thestar.com/article/1062979--feschuk-gardiner-making-it-hard-for-leafs-to-cut-him

It's hard imagine with RNH and Landeskog likely making they're clubs and a few other highly touted guys perhaps doing the same. However, he's a guy worth getting excited about for sure. In a short period of time, he may have played his way ahead of Kadri and Colborne as our best prospect.

I dont think there is any question he has. I know this is only pre-season, but if you asked me today where he stands in their prospect order, I would say he is far ahead of everyone else.

 

[bakeapples]

If he starts down on the farm it should only be until they could clear a roster spot. I believe he has shown enough that his development would best be served by playing against the best and not in the AHL. I would rather see Aulie start down as he would not have to clear waivers.

He may have looked bad on that 3rd goal Friday night but not as bad as The Great Lidstrom on the OT winner.

 

[Tigger]

So why exactly did Anaheim trade him again?

Samueli tapes...

Similar type of risk with Lupul I'd imagine and even though I jest I'm sure there was some kind of Burke factor.

 

[Bender]

So why exactly did Anaheim trade him again?

I guess getting Lupul off the books was a priority. Isn't Beauchemin's contract up this year?

 

[Deebo]

So why exactly did Anaheim trade him again?

According to their fans they have a deep pool of young d-men -- Sami Vatanen, Justin Schultz, Luca Sbisa and Fowler.

Needed a vet and wanted to move Lupul, probably weren't many takers for Lupul and they got a player they were familiar with and perfomed well for the in Beauchemin.

 

[leafplasma]

Great camp, a lot to look forward to, but I think he made Burke and Wilson's decision a whole lot easier last night.  Gardiner will most likely start the year with the Marlies, he just needed a game like last night to punctuate the defensive flaws he needs to work on.  Until last night I think the Leafs may have had no other choice but to keep him up.  He should get a call at some point this season though.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

He's also played a lot of games this pre-season so it's not that surprising he had his worst game.

 

[leafplasma]

He's also played a lot of games this pre-season so it's not that surprising he had his worst game.

True enough but I think that the Leaf brass may use that performance as a means to avoid the backlash of sending a guy down that really seized the opportunity in camp.  Gardiner not being rushed is a good thing really so it seems it could be for the best.

 

[Kessel Run]

As good as he was, the Leaf blue line is crowded right now and spending some time in the AHL would be good for him.

 

[cw]

Between the two waiver exempt dmen (Aulie being the other), Gardiner has won the right to stay. They are obviously different types of dmen which may factor into who they keep. Trying Liles with Phaneuf may not bode well for Aulie.

Maybe I have a Komisarek hangover from last season. Komisarek has played better at times this preseason. But to be forthright, I've wondered whether Gardiner having Komi as a partner has helped or hindered Gardiner during the games he's played with Komi.

Burke professed his man love for Komi on the recent FAN590 interview so he's not going anywhere soon.

Edmonton is rubbing their hands together waiting for the final cuts. If keeping Gardiner exposes a vet dman to the waiver wire, he's probably as good as gone. If the Leafs are going to contend for a playoff spot, I don't want to hear any whining from them if they lose a decent vet to waivers. I'd much rather Gardiner go down until they can make a deal if that's how it must play out.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

I'd much rather Gardiner go down until they can make a deal if that's how it must play out.

I agree, as I've expressed before. Another thing is that Burke likes to have his prospects play in the AHL anyway, so I think Gardiner is going down, unless a deal comes to fruition, which I don't think it will before the start of the season anyway. What's the rush? Gardiner will be told full well how good his camp went and when he can expect to be brought up, it's not like his world is going to come crashing down, Caputi and Hanson played well enough to earn a spot last year, but ultimately went down to the A'.

 

[L K]

Between the two waiver exempt dmen (Aulie being the other), Gardiner has won the right to stay. They are obviously different types of dmen which may factor into who they keep. Trying Liles with Phaneuf may not bode well for Aulie.

Maybe I have a Komisarek hangover from last season. Komisarek has played better at times this preseason. But to be forthright, I've wondered whether Gardiner having Komi as a partner has helped or hindered Gardiner during the games he's played with Komi.

Burke professed his man love for Komi on the recent FAN590 interview so he's not going anywhere soon.

Edmonton is rubbing their hands together waiting for the final cuts. If keeping Gardiner exposes a vet dman to the waiver wire, he's probably as good as gone. If the Leafs are going to contend for a playoff spot, I don't want to hear any whining from them if they lose a decent vet to waivers. I'd much rather Gardiner go down until they can make a deal if that's how it must play out.

Personally, what I have seen out of Komisarek is that he is steadier than last year but he still is one of the worst defensemen when he has the puck.  He makes terrible passes that turn a low-pressure situation into a high pressure situation, and he is still awful at getting the puck out of the zone. 

His positional play is better, but I have seen speedy forwards get around him easily on the outside so his mobility isn't all that great.  That concerns me when he came into camp boasting about how much work he did in the offseason that he looks slow right off the bat.

I don't think Aulie/Franson have outplayed Komisarek, but I just think we have a huge problem when a 4.5M veteran can barely outplay young defensemen.  Komi isn't going to get better at this point in his career, but Aulie/Franson have room to grow and I don't think the AHL is useful for either of them, and the pressbox certainly won't help either.

I do feel like Gardiner has played well enough to get a shot in the NHL, but I wouldn't be opposed to giving him some AHL time to work on his defensive play.  I think he can still use a bit of work on figuring when to be aggressive on the pinch, and when to hold back.

 

[cw]

His positional play is better, but I have seen speedy forwards get around him easily on the outside so his mobility isn't all that great.  That concerns me when he came into camp boasting about how much work he did in the offseason that he looks slow right off the bat.

Two or three times last night, the Wings were approaching the blue line with speed. As they approached Komi moved up to just inside the blue line. Made me nervous because I feared they'd beat him to the outside.

When players are coming at him at a good clip, he has to start moving backwards sooner (kind of cheating) to keep himself between the skater and the goal. A big slow guy who learned to do that fairly well, although I was never a big fan of his overall game, is Hal Gill.

Maybe a longer stick would help him compensate.

The other thing that surprised me some is that for a guy reputed to be big and strong, he sure gets beat in puck battles along the boards more than I would expect or recall during his days in Montreal. I've even seen him knocked down rather easily this preseason. I wonder if he has chronic issues with his surgically repair shoulders that has sapped some of his upper body strength? Might explain why he hasn't been the same player since.

Burke & Wilson have vouched for his character off the ice. In spite of all the tough times he's had living up to his contract, he seems to have remained a very decent guy - or he comes across that way in his interviews.

 

[princedpw]

If they are going to keep Komisarek in, and they will for financial reasons, I would not mind them sending both Aulie and Gardiner down.

Gunnar Phaneuf
Liles Schenn
Franson Komisarek
Lashoff

Lashoff can spell Komi or Franson or possibly even Gunnar at various times.

I think Gunnar has good enough two-way play in order for us to at least try him with Phaneuf.  Last year, I thought Kabby-Schenn was our best defensive pairing in both directions, so I'd like to try to recapture that with Liles-Schenn.

Have Gardiner and Aulie play as a tandem for 26+ minutes each in the AHL.  We'll be very pleased with this decision once the mid-season injuries role in.  It is pretty common that 9-10 defenders get used on a team during the year due to injuries isn't it?  I would wait for at least January before pursuing any trade.  The return on the trade should be much higher from January through the trade deadline than now, unless some team encounters a rash of early injuries and are willing to give us a great return.

 

[cw]

I think Gunnar has good enough two-way play in order for us to at least try him with Phaneuf.

Of all the dmen who were around last year, he looks the most improved to me. He looks physically stronger in his puck battles along the boards and around the net. Maybe it's partly because I didn't expect it of him ..

Last year, I thought Kabby-Schenn was our best defensive pairing in both directions, so I'd like to try to recapture that with Liles-Schenn.

The closest match to Kaberle in terms of skating and poise with the puck seems like Gardiner to me. I'm interested in seeing what Gardiner paired with Schenn would be like. They could be a tandem for many years to come.

 

[L K]

I think Gunnar has good enough two-way play in order for us to at least try him with Phaneuf.

Of all the dmen who were around last year, he looks the most improved to me. He looks physically stronger in his puck battles along the boards and around the net. Maybe it's partly because I didn't expect it of him ..

Last year, I thought Kabby-Schenn was our best defensive pairing in both directions, so I'd like to try to recapture that with Liles-Schenn.

The closest match to Kaberle in terms of skating and poise with the puck seems like Gardiner to me. I'm interested in seeing what Gardiner paired with Schenn would be like. They could be a tandem for many years to come.

The big difference for me would be Kaberle has significantly better positional defensive play.  I know its unfair to expect a rookie to play like a veteran, but I'm not sold that Schenn+Gardiner would be a good pairing because of that...at least not for a few years.

 

[ZBBM]

If they are going to keep Komisarek in, and they will for financial reasons, I would not mind them sending both Aulie and Gardiner down.

Gunnar Phaneuf
Liles Schenn
Franson Komisarek
Lashoff

Lashoff can spell Komi or Franson or possibly even Gunnar at various times.

I think Gunnar has good enough two-way play in order for us to at least try him with Phaneuf.  Last year, I thought Kabby-Schenn was our best defensive pairing in both directions, so I'd like to try to recapture that with Liles-Schenn.

Have Gardiner and Aulie play as a tandem for 26+ minutes each in the AHL.  We'll be very pleased with this decision once the mid-season injuries role in.  It is pretty common that 9-10 defenders get used on a team during the year due to injuries isn't it?  I would wait for at least January before pursuing any trade.  The return on the trade should be much higher from January through the trade deadline than now, unless some team encounters a rash of early injuries and are willing to give us a great return.

This makes a lot of sense.  A heckuva lot has to go right for this squad to make the playoffs, and I for one am ready for another season on the outside if it means developing a good young defense corps.