Forward, better example...Torey Krug.
- mykokes

True. I just wanna see Gardiner for a full NHL season. My bet he gets hugely exposed. Just my opinion watching him in his own end. Question? How many goals get scored off of Gardiner rushes?

Dude Dion plays against the games best on a weak defensive team. He's gonna get burned occasionally.
- honesthockey

We are weak defensively partially due to Dion, they aren't mutually exclusive.

Thumbody cut my weeeeee-nerrrrr!!! Dolla-rama knife!!!!!
- Tee-Dot

To seduce-adate me

We are weak defensively partially due to Dion, they aren't mutually exclusive.
- MapleLeafsFTW

Ok so it gets exasperated bc of the TEAM.

True. I just wanna see Gardiner for a full NHL season. My bet he gets hugely exposed. Just my opinion watching him in his own end. Question? How many goals get scored off of Gardiner rushes?
- honesthockey

He did play a full season. Some people thought he was our best Defensemen that year. I disagreed but he is still good.

Get down, Get Down, GET DOWN!! Open you're mouth... STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE!!
- BetterCallSaul

Wha' 'appen' WHAT... THE (frank)... JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Ok so it gets exasperated bc of the TEAM.
- honesthockey

Let's say there are 120 defensive minutes. Dion plays about a half an hour a night. 1/4 of our D. If you are looking for problems with our D look for the guy who is responsible for more of it than anyone else.

He did play a full season. Some people thought he was our best Defensemen that year. I disagreed but he is still good.
- MapleLeafsFTW

He didn't play a full season. Got sent down to work on his defensive deficiencies.

Let's say there are 120 defensive minutes. Dion plays about a half an hour a night. 1/4 of our D. If you are looking for problems with our D look for the guy who is responsible for more of it than anyone else.
- MapleLeafsFTW

Yeah NHL coaches don't take that into consideration.

You gotta think that if he was 1/4 as bad as you think he wouldn't be on the ice.

He didn't play a full season. Got sent down to work on his defensive deficiencies.
- honesthockey

I'd say 75 games is a full season....

I'd say 75 games is a full season....
- MapleLeafsFTW

No 82 is a full season. He played 4 in the AHL after his demotion but was recalled do to injury.

Yeah NHL coaches don't take that into consideration.

You gotta think that if he was 1/4 as bad as you think he wouldn't be on the ice.
- honesthockey

He shouldn't have been on the ice, especially in the last minute of the game 7 regulation.

He didn't play a full season. Got sent down to work on his defensive deficiencies.
- honesthockey

I'll draw you a parallel that I can say I actually remember watching unfold, late 70s... young defenseman, highly touted, wildly inconsistent, took too many risks, but obviously tons of upside. That would be Randy Carlyle, now I'm not saying that they are the same player, they aren't. It took Carlyle a good year or two after the deal to Pittsburgh to become better rounded, more measured.

I think you'll see that Gardiner will turn out the same.. yes he will drive us nuts on some nights... but he'll figure it out. And the natural skating ability isn't something you can teach.

I think the decision that Nonis has to make is whether he(Nonis) trusts Gardiner. If he does then JML is a goner (which would be fine by me - free's up enough CAP to sign someone decent).

No 82 is a full season. He played 4 in the AHL after his demotion but was recalled do to injury.
- honesthockey

He means 2011/12.

And I'd say he would've been with the team for all of 12/13 if not for the concussion. Either way, I don't think this team is as bad defensively as most on here say it is. Can it upgraded, well of course. Any defense that featured Holzer and Kostka in prominent roles over the course of the season needs improving.

I'll draw you a parallel that I can say I actually remember watching unfold, late 70s... young defenseman, highly touted, wildly inconsistent, took too many risks, but obviously tons of upside. That would be Randy Carlyle, now I'm not saying that they are the same player, they aren't. It took Carlyle a good year or two after the deal to Pittsburgh to become better rounded, more measured.

I think you'll see that Gardiner will turn out the same.. yes he will drive us nuts on some nights... but he'll figure it out. And the natural skating ability isn't something you can teach.

I think the decision that Nonis has to make is whether he(Nonis) trusts Gardiner. If he does then JML is a goner (which would be fine by me - free's up enough CAP to sign someone decent).
- BorjeFan4Ever

I agree with almost all of this. My problem with Gardiner is how easily he is removed from the puck and where he goes when he doesn't have it.

No 82 is a full season. He played 4 in the AHL after his demotion but was recalled do to injury.
- honesthockey

By your logic Letang has play one full season and James Neal has never played a full season. I could find more examples but I think you get the point.

"I think Jake is moving better than at any time he's moved this year," Carlyle said. "I think his competitiveness on the defensive side of the puck has gone up dramatically from where he was at Christmas when he came back. ... He's elevated his game here in the playoffs – he has an element that every team would like."

"He's a special player and he separates himself with his skating ability," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said after Toronto's 2-1 win in Game 6 Sunday night. "And he's playing at the level that we expected he would start with us.

"So are we surprised by it? No, not really. This is what our expectations were for the player. The bottom line is Jake's a puck-moving NHL elite-level defenceman. And there's areas of his game like any young player, like any player, have to be improved on. And that's what we asked of him."

Source: http://www.thehockeynews....ight-in-the-playoffs.html
- mykokes

Yo we got dis guy, like, Letang er whatever. He like, got like, a PPG er something at 26 as a dman...and er, he had that in the playoffs too...but he sucks ye know.

-Dan Bylsma?

I'll draw you a parallel that I can say I actually remember watching unfold, late 70s... young defenseman, highly touted, wildly inconsistent, took too many risks, but obviously tons of upside. That would be Randy Carlyle, now I'm not saying that they are the same player, they aren't. It took Carlyle a good year or two after the deal to Pittsburgh to become better rounded, more measured.

I think you'll see that Gardiner will turn out the same.. yes he will drive us nuts on some nights... but he'll figure it out. And the natural skating ability isn't something you can teach.

I think the decision that Nonis has to make is whether he(Nonis) trusts Gardiner. If he does then JML is a goner (which would be fine by me - free's up enough CAP to sign someone decent).
- BorjeFan4Ever

That is precisely why he was so hard on Gardiner. Let me ask my fellow posters this, when was the last time you saw an NHL coach take a particular player aside and work on his game one-on-one? Most coach's leave that stuff for the assistants. Years from now, when Gardiner's is asked which coach had the biggest effect on his career, I'm willing to bet its going to be carlyle.

Yo we got dis guy, like, Letang er whatever. He like, got like, a PPG er something at 26 as a dman...and er, he had that in the playoffs too...but he sucks ye know.

-Dan Bylsma?
- AdamFrench

Oh now you acknowledge me. Jerk.

He means 2011/12.

And I'd say he would've been with the team for all of 12/13 if not for the concussion. Either way, I don't think this team is as bad defensively as most on here say it is. Can it upgraded, well of course. Any defense that featured Holzer and Kostka in prominent roles over the course of the season needs improving.
- mykokes

I mean 2011/12 as well. He was demoted part way thru and almost immediately recalled do to injury.

BTW Kostka had more points then Gardiner this year. In either league

Oh now you acknowledge me. Jerk.
- mykokes

I come and go.

That is precisely why he was so hard on Gardiner. Let me ask my fellow posters this, when was the last time you saw an NHL coach take a particular player aside and work on his game one-on-one? Most coach's leave that stuff for the assistants. Years from now, when Gardiner's is asked which coach had the biggest effect on his career, I'm willing to bet its going to be carlyle.
- mykokes

http://www.theglobeandmai...gardiner/article10567593/

Yo we got dis guy, like, Letang er whatever. He like, got like, a PPG er something at 26 as a dman...and er, he had that in the playoffs too...but he sucks ye know.

-Dan Bylsma?
- AdamFrench

Totally insane I tell ya.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/leafs-beat/the-re-education-of-jake-gardiner/article10567593/
- honesthockey

Yup, and later that same week it was Carlyle working directly with him.

I come and go.
- AdamFrench

I like Letang, i really do man, but 7M is a lot to use on a d-man. Especially with the way this city rips into them. We'd overpay for him, then a year or two later, we'd be saying he sucks, and now we have to dump him because he's ruining our cap.