When October 6th opening night comes for the Leafs, they may have two new faces on their roster? The first round pick for the Anaheim Ducks in 2008 and number 17 overall defense man Jake Gardiner is getting closer and closer to make lineup. The other new face is defense man Matthew Lombardi acquired in the off-season from the Predators.
Although, 21-year old Gardiner is a long shot to be part of the 23 man roster on opening night against Montreal, he has opened a lot of eyes during training camp and the preseason. He has logged several minutes of play at times and his game has been near-perfect. Furthermore at a game on Saturday, he added his third assist of the preseason in four games. According to GM, Brian Burke, Gardiner is not guaranteed a spot on the roster just yet. “He still has things to improve in his game particularly in his own end”. “He is definitely a factor now”.
As for Gardiner, each game is a step closer but he doesn’t feel the pressure whatsoever. The beauty of it is that Gardiner knows he is making it difficult for management to keep him or not. Management knew he would eventually make an impact but not that early. With long time Leafs defense man Tomas Kaberle now gone to Boston and Noe to Carolina as a free agent, Gardiner reminds Leafs management of the mobility Kaberle used to bring on ice.
Despite the lack of defense man openings, Gardiner with his stellar play has made an impression on head coach Ron Wilson. “He’s really made a pretty impression on all of us.” said Wilson. he’s been our best defense man pretty much every game so we have to continue looking at him.” “He’s an explosive guy that does smart things with the puck at high speed.” said President and GM Brian Burke.
As for Lombardi, he missed 80 games last season, victim of a concussion. He was cleared earlier in the week to practice with full contact. Lombardi who skated since August as part of his recovery, may be ready for the opening game on October 6th. Depending on the progress in practice, he may be able to play one exhibition game against Detroit. “With Matt in the lineup, he brings another element of speed.” He’s like the roadrunner out there” said head coach Ron Wilson. “We like his speed and also his experience.” added the head coach.
