The Carolina Hurricanes announced yesterday, September 6th, that they have signed defenseman Jake Gardiner to a four-year contract worth $16.2 million ($4.05 million AAV). Gardiner appeared in 62 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, over which he produced three goals and 27 assists. He then played in all seven of the team’s playoff games, through which he tallied zero goals and two assists. Drafted 17th overall of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, Gardiner has appeared in 551 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 45 goals and 200 assists. The 29-year-old defenseman is leaving the only organization that he has known over his eight season NHL and slightly over eight season professional career after turning pro following his junior season at the University of Wisconsin.
My Reaction: As a Bruins fan, I’m both happy and sad to see this happen. I’m excited about it because the Leafs chose to sign Cody Ceci to a contract worth another $450,000 rather than keep Gardiner even though he’s a much better defenseman overall. But, I’m also sad because Gardiner played a big role in helping the Bruins win the past two series against them in Game 7, and especially in 2018. But, that aside, this contract is undeniably a steal for the Hurricanes. His projected contract according to Evolving Wild was for seven years and it carried a $6.95 million cap hit. The fact that they got him for three less years and for nearly three million dollars less per year is crazy. Granted, his projected contract looked like a big overpayment and for far too long, but nearly all unrestricted free agent contracts are that way, so it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him get it.
Gardiner gets a lot of hate from Leafs fans because he generally plays poorly when the games are the most important, but he’s actually a good defenseman. He’s a good puck mover and playmaker who’s also solid in his own end, and he’s great at driving play. He’s not a number one defenseman, but he’s capable of playing in the top four at least if not on the top-pairing, and at 29 years old, he’ll realistically continue to be that way for the next four years. So, he’ll certainly be a great addition to the ‘Canes. Did they really need another defenseman to be successful this season? I’m not so sure about that, and there’s a chance someone gets moved before the season starts because of it. But, that being said, it certainly won’t hurt them to have a player of his caliber on such a team-friendly deal. That’s what you get when you stay out of the free agent frenzy and wait for the player to get desperate and come way down on his asking price just to ensure that he has a team to go to once training camp rolls around. I don’t see any way in which the Hurricanes regret this deal, as it improves their team while also not being too long-term and for a really reasonable cap hit.
Hockey Addict 