The Toronto Maple Leafs cleared the last contract hurdle of the summer with an unexpected splash, as they signed defenseman Jake Gardiner to a five-year, $20.25 Million contract on Tuesday.
“Right away, I was thinking two-year deal and so were they.” Gardiner said on Sportsnet FAN 590’s Brady and Walker show on Wednesday. “We came together and decided a long-term deal was better off for the both of us and we got it done. I think it’s positive for myself and the Leafs.”
The deal locks up the blueliner through the 2018-19 season, circumventing a bridge deal, two years of arbitration eligibility and one year of unrestricted free agency at the cost of a slightly higher cap ($4.05 Million AAV) had the two sides opted for a short-term agreement.
Toronto followed a path similar to what a number of teams did last summer with promising blueliners Roman Josi(7 yrs @ $4M), Cam Fowler(5 yrs @ $4M), Travis Hamonic(7 yrs @ $3.86M) and Slava Voynov(6 yrs @ $4.16M)coming off their entry-level deals, due in part to the escalating price of defensemen.
The market is reflecting that trend as P.K. Subban is poised to make over $8 Million on a new deal, Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik sign on with Washington for more than $5 Million per season and stay-at-home Nikita Nikitin gets $4.5 Million from Edmonton this summer, which makes Gardiner’s salary reasonable by comparison.
Gardiner was second in defensive scoring with 10 goals and 21 assists in 80 games last season and trailed only Dion Phaneuf with an average ice time of 21:04 per game, but still struggles with decision making and giveaways in the defensive zone, which has drawn criticism from Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle, but the slick-skating blueliner believes the former Norris Trophy winner is just trying to get the best out of him.
“(Randy) likes to push young guys, especially when he thinks they can reach their full potential. I think that’s what he’s doing with me. It’s not a bad relationship whatsoever.” Gardiner said. “He plays me a lot of minutes, which is all you can ask for as a defenseman.”
The contract also gives the Leafs more options down the road if they want to move the defenseman in a trade, as it does not contain any no-trade or no-movement restrictions. Gardiner now has a concrete price point for the next five seasons, which teams can factor into their deliberations if they have interest.
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In an interview with
Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post asked Montreal’s P.K. Subban the “LeBron James” question. Have you ever considered going home to play in Toronto?
“I’d be wrong to say that I haven’t thought about it. But one thing’s for sure, Montreal’s a great place to play.” the Norris Trophy winning defenseman said. “I’ve had individual success as well as team success. You look at last year, what we accomplished. And really, just setting the stage for a legacy there that, possibly, some players will never have in any organization. So I look at that first. But definitely, to think that, at some point, you may have the opportunity to play in your hometown? Yeah, it’s unique. But I’m not in a position to elaborate any more on that. All I can say is that I’ve heard a lot about it, I’ve thought about it — but I’m very happy where I am right now, and they’ve treated me so well.”
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