Toronto Maple Leafs need Jake Gardiner more than he needs them

Jake Gardiner may have his critics, but the Toronto Maple Leafs must have the blue-liner back in the lineup for the playoffs.

It’s fair to call Jake Gardiner one of the more polarising players on the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ roster. His excellent offensive skill-set is countered by a penchant for making untimely defensive mistakes.

With Gardiner set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, the overriding sentiment is that he will be playing elsewhere in 2019-20. While the Leafs have often stated they would like to re-sign him, the belief is they won’t be able to afford him; especially when you consider their upcoming salary cap issues. (He’s going to see a significant bump in his salary regardless, no matter where he ends up.)

In light of recent events, the team may want to try just that little bit harder to find a way to sign the 28-year-old to a contract extension. Look no further than how the Leafs have played since he suffered a re-occurrence of his back issues towards the end of February.

During Gardiner’s absence, the Leafs have gone 6-5-2. Most shocking is how suspect they have looked defensively, particularly in games against Tampa Bay (six goals allowed), Chicago (five), Philadelphia (six) and Ottawa (six).

More from Toronto Maple Leafs

• Maple Leafs Rumours: Half of NHL teams interested in Ilya Mikheyev
• Toronto Maple Leafs: How to address the goaltender position
• Leafs reward Timothy Liljegren with extension after breakout season
• Maple Leafs: Jack Campbell situation becoming increasingly uncertain
• Jason Spezza retires, joins Toronto Maple Leafs front office

Unsurprisingly, the Leafs only won one of these games. They cannot rely on continually outscoring teams in seven-goal thrillers once the playoffs begin, which is where Gardiner comes in.

For all the criticism the 2008 17th overall draft pick receives, he is still one of Toronto’s top defencemen. They need him desperately for the playoffs, if they are to be considered serious contenders for the Stanley Cup.

The question is, when will Gardiner actually play again? The reality is there is still no concrete timeline for his return.

There was some good news on Friday, when the Minneapolis, Minnesota native took to the ice ahead of practice. As per Sportsnet, this was the first time he had returned to the ice since playing his last game on Feb. 25.

Leafs’ head coach Mike Babcock was asked about Gardiner, but admitted he had no idea when the blue-liner would next play. As per TSN‘s Kristen Shilton, Babcock just asked him how his family was, and about life in general.

Further, it should be noted that even though Gardiner was on the ice, he did not actually skate. This alludes to how cautious the Leafs’ medical staff is being with him.

In fact, with just seven regular season games remaining, there is every possibility the team will not bring Gardiner back until the playoffs. This is, of course, assuming he will be healthy enough at that time.

In this scenario, you could then have a case where the fans have already seen the former Anaheim Duck play for the final time in a Leafs shirt. Only under these circumstances, would the critics potentially accept that he is more important than they previously realised.

However, first things first, let’s wait to find out if and when Gardiner will actually return to the ice this season. Taking everything into account, we are now in a position where the team needs him more than he needs them, both in the short and the long term.

How important do you believe Gardiner is to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ chances in the playoffs? Further, do you see him returning to the team next season, or will he be playing elsewhere? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.