Leafs @ Penguins - Nov. 27th, 7:30pm - TSN, SN 590

[OldTimeHockey]

It's pretty interesting how opinions on this have differed this season. Gardiner is literally the last defenceman I would be worried about when the puck is on his stick.

Yeah, but with me it's more about the chances he takes, as opposed to his talent. He is going to be a very good defenceman, but he needs to learn to make the safe play if he does get in trouble. We all know how good he is at moving the puck, but off the glass is still a good play at times.

This. Gardiner plays like that young, hot shot quarterback who tries to force it to a receiver when he's chased out of the pocket instead of tossing it out of bounds.

 

[Zee]

It's pretty interesting how opinions on this have differed this season. Gardiner is literally the last defenceman I would be worried about when the puck is on his stick.

Yeah, but with me it's more about the chances he takes, as opposed to his talent. He is going to be a very good defenceman, but he needs to learn to make the safe play if he does get in trouble. We all know how good he is at moving the puck, but off the glass is still a good play at times.

This. Gardiner plays like that young, hot shot quarterback who tries to force it to a receiver when he's chased out of the pocket instead of tossing it out of bounds.

For a supposedly gifted offensive defenseman, he sure doesn't have many points.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

It's pretty interesting how opinions on this have differed this season. Gardiner is literally the last defenceman I would be worried about when the puck is on his stick.

Yeah, but with me it's more about the chances he takes, as opposed to his talent. He is going to be a very good defenceman, but he needs to learn to make the safe play if he does get in trouble. We all know how good he is at moving the puck, but off the glass is still a good play at times.

This. Gardiner plays like that young, hot shot quarterback who tries to force it to a receiver when he's chased out of the pocket instead of tossing it out of bounds.

For a supposedly gifted offensive defenseman, he sure doesn't have many points.

Hogwash! That's Carlyle's system!

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I wish I could see Gardiner the way you guys do. It'll make it so much easier to sleep at night when Nonis inevitably trades him for somebody with half the talent but twice the "intangibles".

 

[Strangelove]

It's pretty interesting how opinions on this have differed this season. Gardiner is literally the last defenceman I would be worried about when the puck is on his stick.

Yeah, but with me it's more about the chances he takes, as opposed to his talent. He is going to be a very good defenceman, but he needs to learn to make the safe play if he does get in trouble. We all know how good he is at moving the puck, but off the glass is still a good play at times.

This. Gardiner plays like that young, hot shot quarterback who tries to force it to a receiver when he's chased out of the pocket instead of tossing it out of bounds.

He really doesn't. If i didn't know any better I'd think you were talking about Franson, who actually does have a tendency to try to force a shot or force it up the middle, often leading to giveaways. Or Fraser, who gives it away because he can't handle the puck. Piling on Gardiner, who makes a million good passes and smart rushing plays on any given night, is ludicrous.

 

[Palmateer29]

I wish I could see Gardiner the way you guys do. It'll make it so much easier to sleep at night when Nonis inevitably trades him for somebody with half the talent but twice the "intangibles".

He will be a good young defenceman away from Carlyle and Toronto. Hopefully he gets the opportunity much like Steen, Tlusty, Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and so on.
I like the fact they could get a good player in return for him but I think they are giving up on him too early and I don't Yakupov is the right player for him.

 

[Highlander]

I saw Gardiner play in Tampa and this is going back two seasons. He was by far the best player on the ice that night and blew our minds with a rushing goal he scored. He also set up Lombardi with a beautiful pass for another marker. So my opinion is he is a franchise builder along with Rielly and Percy who will be here soon. Perhaps he has a thing with Carlyle and I am not a booster or detractor of Carlyle at the moment outside of his insistance of playing Bolthead Orr and Frazer & Frazer McLaren.  Come on Coach give Devine and Brolldozer some time, at least they have potential.

 

[Zee]

I wish I could see Gardiner the way you guys do. It'll make it so much easier to sleep at night when Nonis inevitably trades him for somebody with half the talent but twice the "intangibles".

He will be a good young defenceman away from Carlyle and Toronto. Hopefully he gets the opportunity much like Steen, Tlusty, Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and so on.
I like the fact they could get a good player in return for him but I think they are giving up on him too early and I don't Yakupov is the right player for him.

Gardiner is averaging the 3rd most defenseman minutes under Carlyle this season, how much more of an opportunity can he get?  I didn't see Carlyle holding back Scott Niedermayer's offensive game.  Maybe Gardiner isn't as gifted offensively as many seem to think?

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

I wish I could see Gardiner the way you guys do. It'll make it so much easier to sleep at night when Nonis inevitably trades him for somebody with half the talent but twice the "intangibles".

I'm certainly not advocating trading him, I just wish his overall game was more well rounded. I like him as a player and hope we keep him, but he also has to improve his game if he wants to stay in the line-up. This is just my opinion of him.

When I think of trade, it's Ranger and Liles, even Fraser that come to mind, not any of our young defenders.

 

[TML fan]

It's pretty interesting how opinions on this have differed this season. Gardiner is literally the last defenceman I would be worried about when the puck is on his stick.

Yeah, but with me it's more about the chances he takes, as opposed to his talent. He is going to be a very good defenceman, but he needs to learn to make the safe play if he does get in trouble. We all know how good he is at moving the puck, but off the glass is still a good play at times.

This. Gardiner plays like that young, hot shot quarterback who tries to force it to a receiver when he's chased out of the pocket instead of tossing it out of bounds.

For a supposedly gifted offensive defenseman, he sure doesn't have many points.

It's pretty hard, especially for a defenceman, to score points when the other team always has the puck.

 

[Ronco]

From the last little while watching this team play i have noticed that they are not playing like a team.
Seems to many individual efforts/turnovers.
Last night was a fluke 4 goals in as many minutes.
If they continue with these run and gun games they are gonna be sorry.
Their a lunch bucket team still.
They gotta work at it to win.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

It's pretty interesting how opinions on this have differed this season. Gardiner is literally the last defenceman I would be worried about when the puck is on his stick.

Yeah, but with me it's more about the chances he takes, as opposed to his talent. He is going to be a very good defenceman, but he needs to learn to make the safe play if he does get in trouble. We all know how good he is at moving the puck, but off the glass is still a good play at times.

This. Gardiner plays like that young, hot shot quarterback who tries to force it to a receiver when he's chased out of the pocket instead of tossing it out of bounds.

He really doesn't. If i didn't know any better I'd think you were talking about Franson, who actually does have a tendency to try to force a shot or force it up the middle, often leading to giveaways. Or Fraser, who gives it away because he can't handle the puck. Piling on Gardiner, who makes a million good passes and smart rushing plays on any given night, is ludicrous.

I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad thing. I'm saying that if he can be curbed from forcing things or trying to be a game breaker he'll be fine. Dion Phaneuf had the same issue when he first came here as well.

Also, I don't think anyone is excusing Fraser or Franson for playing like boneheads.

 

[proteus2000]

Have to bring up how Carlyle used his 4th line last night:

I'm not surprised to look at the boxscore and see that the Leafs 4th line played 3:29, 3:39, and 4:55 min. Pittsburgh's bottom 3 forwards played 7:08, 8:17, and 9:45.

So while the Leafs 4th line ate up 12 min 3 sec, The Pens put those guys on for 25 min 10 sec, presumably more in the 1st and 2nd period.

Perhaps the Leafs are a terrible 3rd period team because other teams play their 4th line more in the first 2 periods, allowing their better players to have more energy for the 3rd. The Leafs just look FLAT in the 3rd way too often.