Into The 2019 NHL Unrestricted Free Agent Class: Jake Gardiner

Taking a closer look at free agent defenseman Jake Gardiner and what he might expect on his next deal.Jake Gardiner is the best left handed defenseman on the free agent market. He’s an unrestricted free agent and is coming off of a 5 year contract, worth $20.25 million USD (an AAV of $4.050 mil USD).

Gardiner has been part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization since February of 2011. The Anaheim Ducks were the organization who drafted Gardiner and decided to package him in a deal with Joffrey Lupul, so they could acquire François Beauchemin.

Gardiner first played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2011-12 regular season. From the get-go, the Minneapolis, Minnesota native looked quite…