An early look at who the Detroit Red Wings should target in Free Agency
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Red Wings should consider targeting Jake Gardiner who’s been a long-time Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman. He’s a mobile defender who would step in and become the number one defender in Detroit immediately.
The Leafs fans are a tough crowd to please and over the years have let Jake Gardiner hear their displeasure. He had a terrible showing against the Boston Bruins in game seven of the NHL playoffs that some fans are unable to get past. His multiple turnovers led to the team with a significant lead to keep raking the puck out of the back of their own net.
He fell out of favor as recent as this season with the fanbase. They have a quick trigger to boo, the same game Gardiner was heavily booed for making an error that cost the Leafs a lead. The same game John Tavares was a minus -3, yet he wouldn’t dare be criticized. I think Tavares is tremendous; I’m just pointing out the different type of treatment.
Gardiner is averaging 21:12 TOI per game. He’s the Leafs number two defenseman behind Morgan Reilly. Even after the addition of Jake Muzzin, Gardiner continues to see more average ice-time. He isn’t nearly as offensive minded as he could be, but he’s an above average skater and an exquisite puck mover.
On the season he’s accomplished 2 goals, 27 assists in 60 games. His CF% is respectable at 52.3%. He’s also a plus 17 on the season. Last season Gardiner recorded 52 points and played just over 22:00 minutes a night. He would be a valuable asset in Detroit as he’s still only 28 years old and help sure up the Wings back-end as the team transitions to become a younger group. I would expect Gardiner’s asking price to be somewhere around 6.5-7 million per season on a 7-year term.