Jake Gardiner Turning Heads

For a long time, I carried the notion that Toronto Maple Leafs Jake Gardiner was a defensive liability.

I believed that Gardiner was useless.. Just a guy who could hold onto the puck or end up losing it. Some of the past is still true as he does turnover the puck, but nobody’s perfect. However, my perception of him is starting to change as he’s turning heads.

Gardiner is establishing himself as one of the best defensemen in the NHL at getting the puck out of the defensive zone. A lot of the time he’ll be the one carrying it in into the offensive zone. Maybe it’s because Mike Babcock has placed more trust in him. The point is that he’s able to either hold onto the puck and create his own scoring chance or he gets it to someone else who has a better opportunity. His ability to protect the puck is becoming uncanny. Some of the plays he makes just blow my mind and I’m starting to become a Gardiner believer.

Closer Look at Jake Gardiner

It’s no fun reading about certain plays a player has made without actually seeing some examples. So, I’m going to take the guess work out as I have picked some examples of solid defensive, offensive and rush plays he has made this season resulting in scoring chances, goals and simply keeping the puck away from the opposition.

In this video, you have to look closely at every frame because if you blink you’ll miss the solid work he’s done. At the beginning, we see Gardiner gather the loose puck and shield it from the opposition in his own zone. Might not seem like a lot, but the fact that he was able to produce some open space to skate with the puck is a good thing. The simple thing that gets unnoticed is how he changed the direction of his skates, which is a great tactic for him to use to confuse a player right on his tail.

After crossing the red line, he dumps the puck in and instead of letting one of the wingers chase after it, he digs his skates into the ice and takes off with the hopes of recovering the puck. He manages to get his body in between the puck and the defenders allowing his teammate to get the puck and pass it back to him.

Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs, Continued…

Upon receiving the pass it’s blatantly obvious that he has a finite amount of time to move the puck and keep it in the offensive zone. So, he changes the direction of his skates again, putting his body between the puck and the defender and sends it between his legs to his defensive partner who dumps it back in. Had he given up the puck at the blue line, the opposition could have easily skated the puck up to the Leafs net for a scoring chance. Not only did he start the play but he saved the cycle and allowed it to continue.

This is a special sight and brings a tear to my eye. Gardiner collects the pass at the blue line and gets right to work. Again, the time he has to make a move to keep the puck inside the offensive zone is limited as the defender aggressively approaches. He once again slightly changes the direction of his skates to confuse the opposing player and drags the puck over to his other side creating room. He then goes in between two players, losing the puck but regains possession to continue the cycle.

You’ll notice that Gardiner is an above average skater. He’s very elusive with and without the puck, a valuable skill for a player to possess. There aren’t a lot of skaters as smooth as Gardiner is in the league.

I remember watching this game but I didn’t notice this simple play at first. Upon discovering it, I’ve literally played it over and over. The puck entered the Toronto  Maple Leafs zone and Gardiner’s the first man back with some pressure on him. He turns his head to see how much time he has and simply backhands the puck between his legs to Nazem Kadri who’s done his position justice and came back to help out. Such a simple play that gives the Leafs possession without just blasting the puck along the boards to get it out of the zone, possibly giving up possession in the process.

Agreeing with Jeff!

I’ve gotta agree with Jeff on this one. Might seem like just a little play but think about what would’ve happened if he didn’t gain control of the puck to keep it in the offensive zone. He simply collects the loose pucks and does a double deke to keep in away from two of the Boston Bruins players. Had he not kept control if it, the opposition could’ve skated away with it for what looks like a one on one. This is one of those plays that the Leafs coaching staff takes a second look at after the game and gives the player a pat on the back, saying keep it up.

It would be a shame to not show this overtime goal by Gardiner, also serving as an excellent example of my entire argument. He’s required to do a quick judgment call here on the fly. He sees that Dustin Byfuglien and Auston Matthews are skating to the loose puck along the boards. Instead of getting back in case Matthews doesn’t recover the puck, he steps forward and receives the pass knowing the other Leaf not named Matthews or Gardiner is defending.

This allows him to carry the puck over the blue line with loads of time and an option to pass. He doesn’t make a hasty move but rather he’s patient with the puck looking towards both his pass option and the net. Realizing the pass is no longer an option, he picks his corner. The rest is history as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Winnipeg Jets in a rather important game.

Nobody’s Perfect

Earlier I mentioned that nobody’s perfect and I wanted to back that up. I showed you a lot of examples of Jake Gardiner doing the right thing, even mentioning the fact that a lot of the work he does goes unnoticed. A big reason for that is because of the things he does wrong. Now, don’t misunderstand me. He’s improved his game tremendously since last season under Babcock’s supervision. But, he still makes foolish mistakes that can sometimes be costly and detrimental to his team.

In this video, we see Jake Gardiner running out of time and space with the puck in the offensive zone. He turns and fires it into the open lane, getting picked off by the Dallas Stars. The player passes the puck up to his teammate who now has breakaway on Curtis McEhlinney. Fortunately for Gardiner and the Toronto Maple Leafs, McEhlinney comes up huge and stops the puck. Foolish play as anyone can tell he had the time to just backhand it in deep.

Reaffirming

I need to emphasize the point I’ve been trying to make throughout this article. Jake Gardiner has come a long way in his development and his game is the best it’s ever been. Like any player, he still makes mistakes, but they will become less and less as he improves. And, that’s okay.

He is having a career year in points through only 61 games played, scoring nine goals and 32 points. He leads all defenseman on the Leafs roster in points.

With the proper guidance, Gardiner could turn out to be a solid top-four defenseman on the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup for years to come. Look for him to improve his game and iron out his defensive mistakes. I, above anyone, was the biggest hater of Jake Gardiner, but not anymore. He’s proving to be a valuable asset to this team and has stepped up in a big way. If he continues to play this way, he will surely be a pain in the butt to his opposition on any given night.