Jake Gardiner, the most underrated player in the history of professional sports, is a pending unrestricted free-agent. He’s one of the best defensemen to ever wear the blue and white for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but unfortunately, his time on the team may be shorter than it should be.
As a fifty point defenseman who is among the best skaters in the NHL, Jake Gardiner is going to command a lot of money on the open market.
For the Leafs, this is going to make fitting him in under the salary cap a hard proposition, and one I’m not sure they can make.