May 10, 2021.
That was the last time that Jake Gardiner played an NHL game.
Since then, the Carolina Hurricanes revamped their defense, replaced their goaltending, added a couple of key pieces to their forward depth, won the Metropolitan Division but are still stuck in the same place in terms of pursuing the ultimate goal.
Gardiner on the other hand, has been off the ice for over a year and had surgery on both his back and hips.
So the two are in an awkward state with a team desperate to improve anywhere it can and a player who will need time just see if he can even get back to a competitive state.