Oct 3, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner (51) gets congratulated after his goal against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Statistics
The offensive game is Jake Gardiner’s bread and butter, so when he only puts up 24 points with a measly four goals it’s concerning.
His 5v5 game was down from last season and over his time in Toronto he’s been up and down for 5v5 points.
If history is going to repeat itself then Gardiner should trend back up next year, hopefully. Let’s put it this way: he has to. Gardiner’s disappointing offensive season was a big hit for the Leafs. He’s there to generate offense from the back end, not only in shot attempts but carry the play from the blueline and produce results.
He needs to be more effective at 5v5.
Perhaps he was truly afraid to make a mistake under Carlyle and that’s why he struggled early on. He’ll get a chance to redeem himself next season under a different regime – and likely without the extreme poor luck of the Leafs shooting percentage since January.
Regardless, this was a down year for Gardiner offensively.
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