I believed that Gardiner was useless.. Just a guy who could hold onto the puck or end up losing it. Some of the past is still true as he does turnover the puck, but nobody’s perfect. However, my perception of him is starting to change as he’s turning heads.
Gardiner is establishing himself as one of the best defensemen in the NHL at getting the puck out of the defensive zone. A lot of the time he’ll be the one carrying it in into the offensive zone. Maybe it’s because Mike Babcock has placed more trust in him.