Apr 27, 2018
Gardiner picking up the pieces
Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner said his Game 7 performance – he posted a minus-5 rating against the Bruins – didn’t come up much in Friday’s exit meeting and coach Mike Babcock simply told him not to fret over what happened and ‘just move on,’ Mark Masters writes.
By Mark Masters
TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs held their end-of-season exit meetings at the Air Canada Centre on Friday.
Jake Gardiner was asked why he decided to face the media after a nightmarish Game 7 performance.
"If you don't perform and you go hide in a corner, what good is that going to do? You got to face what you did,” the Maple Leafs defenceman said at the team’s annual locker clean-out day on Friday. “Obviously, didn't really feel like speaking, but felt it was the right thing to do.”
Gardiner posted an ugly minus-5 rating against the Bruins and took full responsibility for his role in the 7-4 defeat during an emotional media session in Boston.
“Let’s not put this all on Jake Gardiner,” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. “I made it very clear to him today, ‘Don’t be living with that.’ The little slap you give yourself, so you train harder this summer and work harder, great, but the rest … just move on.”
Gardiner, who recorded a career-high 52 points in the regular season, said his Game 7 performance didn’t come up much in Friday’s exit meeting.
“I did have a really good year,” he said. “Probably the best year I’ve had. A bad ending, but you think back through the year and it was good as a team and personally as well.”
Gardiner said his focus in the off-season will be on getting stronger and improving his shot.
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Top-line centre Auston Matthews indicated he would like to play more with good friend Mitch Marner next season.
“Yeah, I would,” Matthews said. “He’s a great player, you see that he makes guys around him better and we have good chemistry off the ice. On the ice, when we have played with each other (and) it’s been fun. I’d love to play with him, but I’m not the one making the lineup card. So, whoever you play with, that’s who it is and we have plenty of good players on this team.”
The pair have rarely lined up together over their first two seasons in Toronto. Babcock believes both Matthews and Marner can drive their own lines so he has preferred to keep them apart. Any potential that changes next year?
“I don’t know if I see that,” Babcock noted. “I went to Michigan yesterday, had my daughter’s graduation so I haven’t done any whiteboard work or napkin work. I haven’t even had a beer, for crying out loud. So much depends on who you acquire. You guys want them to play together, I want to win.”
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Marner is eligible to sign a contract extension this summer. Based on his strong end to the season, how eager is he to ink a new deal?
“Not eager at all,” the 20-year-old said. “I mean, you know, if it comes up and it works then it works. But, if not, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll come in here next season and try and make this team better and go further.”
Marner said his priority this summer will be the same as last summer: improving his shot.
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Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello confirmed that Andreas Johnsson and Travis Dermott will rejoin the Toronto Marlies for the American Hockey League playoffs. Kasperi Kapanen was also eligible to be sent to the minors, but will instead be going to the world hockey championship to play for Finland next month.