Toronto Maple Leafs: The Jake Gardiner contract conundrum

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner is an impending free agent and it appears that the team could look into re-signing him.

According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, Toronto Maple Leafs’ coach Mike Babcock spoke of his belief that Jake Gardiner will be re-signed and stay with the team for the foreseeable future: “We look forward to getting Jake signed and him being a Leaf for a long time.”

Gardiner has been a key part of the Leafs organisation for a long time, having originally been traded to the team by the Anaheim Ducks.

The trade made between the Leafs and Ducks saw the Leafs also receive Joffrey Lupul and a 2013 fourth-round pick.

If Gardiner were to reach free agency, he would play for only the second NHL team of his career – having never played for the Ducks prior to being traded.

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Gardiner had a strong showing for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, playing all 82 games in the regular season and registering 52 points (five goals and 47 assists).

He averaged 22:32 on the ice and had a positive Corsi rating of 50.7 percent, starting in the defensive zone 50.1 percent of the time.

Gardiner blocked 103 shots, threw 51 hits and had 39 takeaways – very positive defensive numbers for a player who is often considered to be primarily offence-minded.

His performances, both offensively and defensively, contributed to a 7.8 points share last season – third-best on the team behind Frederik Andersen and Auston Matthews.

The biggest concerns that Leafs fans have about Gardiner is the 105 giveaways he had last season, as well as his capitulation in Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs against the Boston Bruins.

Gardiner was on the ice for five of Boston’s goals, but that one game should not define his future with the organisation when he is still such a key player.

Signing him to a new deal would keep the team’s top blueline players on board, but could also cause the team some concerns in terms of cap space moving forward.

Gardiner currently earns $4.05 million a year on his current deal, which he signed back in 2014, and it’s expected that he will receive a big pay increase in any contract he signs, with the Leafs or whoever.

Some rumours have suggested Gardiner could earn up to $6 million a year on his next deal, a figure the Leafs could struggle to afford with the impending re-signings of William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Matthews.

Add to that list Andreas Johnsson, Tyler Ennis, Par Lindholm, Kasperi Kapanen and Connor Carrick, and the Leafs really do have a tight cap situation next season.

Keeping Gardiner on the team is something the Leafs organisation should certainly look into, but it is something that could be just out of reach.

If the Leafs are able to offload the likes of Patrick Marleau‘s contract next summer, it could free up enough room to get Gardiner re-signed.

It could also depend on how well Nikita Zaitsev performs this season, with his $4.5 million cap hit potentially too high based on his performances – making him a prime candidate for a potential trade if he doesn’t return to his rookie season form.

General manager Kyle Dubas will have a tough time keeping Gardiner around, unless the American is willing to take a home-town discount to stick around and play a role in the Leafs’ years of Stanley Cup contention.

But if Dubas is able to fit the defenceman in under the cap, there’s no real reason why the Toronto Maple Leafs should give up on such a highly underrated and important player on their roster.

What do you think Leafs Nation? Will the Buds manage to re-sign Gardiner to a team-friendly deal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.