Gardiner to finally remain in Toronto!

Personally, I wouldn’t want to be in Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas’ shoes… 

There is so much to do this summer, starting with the main priority of re-signing Mitch Marner, and you just know he is doomed to make at least one mistake during the busy summer. 

And we finally might know one thing that could go wrong. 

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs are considering bringing back defenseman Jake Gardiner who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. 

The veteran blue liner is entering free agency after eight seasons with the Leafs and many expected him to be gone from Toronto after questionable past seasons with the team. He is looking for his last big payday in the NHL this summer, with many rumours suggesting he could command around $6 million a season - a figure that is way to big for the Maple Leafs’ cap space. 

However, during the 31 Thoughts podcast on Sportsnet, Friedman revealed that Gardiner could return with the Leafs next season. 

“I’ve heard some interesting things about Jake Gardiner. One of the interesting things that’s happening in Toronto right now is the whole Marleau/Zaitsev thing. And one of the reasons he was going to be out in Toronto was they just didn’t have the cap room to keep him. All of a sudden there’s some interesting stuff happening in Toronto. If they move Marleau and if they move Zaitsev, depending on what they do, they could have some cap room. I think they want to bring Gardiner back. I think in a perfect world he wants to stay. But I think I’d have to see what would happen with all these other moves to see if it would be possible.”

It is true that a lot of rumours have come up around defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, who reportedly demanded a trade out of Toronto. As for Patrick Marleau, it has been mentioned that a trade or even a contract buyout could take place, but nothing has been confirmed in the recent days. 

We can only imagine that fans would be crossed with the idea of keeping Gardiner, but moving Marleau even if they play very different roles on the roster. 

However, it seems like Leafs fans will need to get used to the idea of welcoming Gardiner back on the Toronto crew.