J Gardiner

[jman]

Does anyone know when this guy is going to get back into the show??

I have Kulikov injured right now, should I start Gardiner instead of him for the week?

Thanks

[gainerama]

Neither of them are probably playing this week. You got nothing to lose with starting Gardiner, and probably nothing to gain either.

[His Dudeness]

I need Gardiner to get called up in the worst possible way!!

Interesting take by Jonas Siegel in article on TSN today: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=417636

"4. Dissecting a potential Gardiner recall

By all accounts, Jake Gardiner is back to being, well, Jake Gardiner. But for the time being, the 22-year-old remains in the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies. A unique skill-set within the organization, now would seem the obvious and prudent time to recall Gardiner. A look into the club's likely thought process, however, reveals a decision with some nuance and perhaps explains why he is not in the NHL at the moment.

First and maybe most importantly is the waiver dynamic. Holzer is the only defender among the current group of eight who can be reassigned to the Marlies free of the waiver process. Designating the 25-year-old would seem simple enough, but because he has played the past 14 games on the top pairing with Phaneuf and the team has had success (11 wins in 15 games before Thursday's loss), the option is not so clear-cut. Mike Komisarek holds a no-movement clause so he remains and the organization likely isn't at the point of placing John-Michael Liles through such a process. Mark Fraser and Mike Kostka are the next options, but they both require waivers and the Leafs surely have no interest in risking the loss of either one.

So what to do? The Leafs could re-assign Holzer, who struggled against the Bruins on Thursday but has garnered generally consistent minutes, thereby creating an opening alongside Phaneuf. Carlyle could theoretically fill that void by moving Carl Gunnarsson back to his previous position alongside the captain, shifting Phaneuf back to the right side. Carlyle could then slide Gardiner onto a pair with Kostka, a duo that managed much success with the Marlies during the lockout. Recalling Gardiner therefore would force the Leafs to alter two of their three pairs. And while that might not necessarily be a bad thing considering the unique dynamic Gardiner brings to the table, it is a whole lot of change at the midway point of a hectic season. The team has also enjoyed success so there may be no inclination for change just yet. The time will come though; injuries are inevitable, trades remain a distinct possibility and performance can falter. And the Leafs are simply a better team with Gardiner on it; a decision is likely to sort itself out."

[gfhyde]

Nice summary there.

I guess Phaneuf, Gunnarson, Franson, Kostka stay up. Fraser too for reasons mentioned above. Not sure what's up with JML, but I wouldn't mind seeing fresh legs in the lineup again.

Komisarek can suck it.

Holzer will get sent down immediately if they lose more than a couple of games.

Gardiner needs to play because FOR THE LOVE OF GOD they need someone that can move the puck quickly back there or at least exit their own zone cleanly. It's like the Leafs defenders have led in their skates sometimes.

Something to look forward to anyway. Maybe he'll even hit the net too

[His Dudeness]

An interesting podcast discussion about Gardiner from a few hours ago - the guys seem baffled why he hasn't been recalled yet:

http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/20...nd-realignment

[Mr. Guru]

Worst website.


Without listening to the podcast, there are a couple reasons why he hasn't been called up yet.


1) The Leafs are enjoying success right now

2) Liles should get a crack at re-insertion before Gardiner gets called up. Purely out of seniority, if he fails to deliver then you can think about recalling Gardiner.

3) Holzer is the only waiver exempt defender.

4) Gardiner can only play 3 more games before he has to start clearing waivers.

5) Knowing point 4), the Leafs are currently carrying 8 defenders.


Even though he is playing great recently, there isn't much room for him on the pro roster.

[Chuk]

Great post Guru, I agree completely, let me add a few other thoughts.

It has also been suggested that Gardiner is not a Carlyle type player. That is not to say he will not be, rather that Holzer, Fraser and Kostka are "Carlyle type" players.

There is also the organizational view that players who play well are rewarded with promotion and playing time. It would be hard to argue that the present group has not exceeded expectations by a mile and altering the chemistry would be more harmful than good, from a player and management view.

The other factor is that there is no harm in allowing Gardiner to play 25+ minutes a night in the minors, run the PP and play against all the top AHL players. This way the Leafs can wait until after the trade deadline to see what they have. Realistically they will need to move a body or two.

I am a big Gardiner fan. As gfhyde pointed out, there are few things as valuable as an efficient puck mover from your own end. It is hard to imagine how the Leafs are surviving without there best "puck mover" from a year ago. Yet here we are, with the Leafs in playoff contention for the first time since Friends went into reruns.

Toronto is a city that refers to rebuilding and patience but will have hours of debates as to why Gardiner or any other young player is not on the Leafs. We saw the same thing with Kadri, where everyone complained for months that he should be with the big squad, on the #1 line and getting every opportunity to show his stuff. It seesm a little patience and actual player development went a long way in his case.

Why not hope the same applies to Gardiner?

[jman]

Becuase I need to use him right now Chuk! NHL teams need to be more sensitive to the needs of poolies...

[His Dudeness]

Becuase I need to use him right now Chuk! NHL teams need to be more sensitive to the needs of poolies...

Totally agree! Does Carlyle not know that he is playing fast and loose with my chances of winning this year? Yeesh.

[jman]

The Dude will not stand for this....

[Big Ev]

Gardiner really tied the room together

[His Dudeness]

This (Gardiner's situation) is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous. And, uh, a lotta strands to keep in my head, man. Lotta strands in old Duder's head. Fortunately, I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh, limber.

[smack]

For selfish reasons, I'd want them to call up Gardiner, but I don't care if it's Liles or Gardiner, I just want Holzer out. Not saying he won't be good but he's been on the bad end more than on the good end and he still has some options so I really hope they send him down soon.

[Mr. Guru]

Holzer definitely looks the worse, but it's because he is usually starting the game against the oppositions top line.

Same as Kostka at the beginning of the season. How consistent does Kostka look now?

I agree, something has got to give....I still think Liles should get a shot at redemption before calling up Gardiner.

[The Guvnah]

Beyond fantasy hockey, is there any real reason for the Leafs to bring Gardiner back up right now? They're in a playoff spot, they haven't been on a tear lately, but they've been playing good hockey. Is it the worst thing in the world to have Gardiner play top minutes in the AHL right now? (Granted, I don't know what kind of minutes he's playing for the Marlies but I can only assume he's playing 20:00+ a game) This seems oddly similar to what happened with Kadri... Leafs fans say they'll be patient and wait for the rebuild to work, yet scream bloody murder when a top prospect plays a couple years in the A. Now look at him, Kadri is one of the best forwards on the ice any given night. Patience! Gardiner is an excellent player, he will be back in the bigs.