Leafs forcing Gardiner to play injured in the postseason?!

The Bruins might take advantage of this…

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Leafs forcing Gardiner to play injured in the postseason?!
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Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner returned to action last night as Toronto fell 3-1 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning despite a good effort. 

Gardiner was glad to return for the final stretch of the regular season, knowing that the playoffs and their first round opponents the Boston Bruins are right around the corner. 

However, the more media members asked about his condition and his eagerness to return to action, the more it sounds like Gardiner might not be 100% for the most important part of the year. 

“I don’t know. Hopefully I don’t have to manage it,” Gardiner told reporters before the game when asked if he’ll have to deal with the injury some more. “I’ll always be aware of it, but as of now I’m just looking forward to playoffs and to get going. We felt it was important to at least get a couple games in before playoffs, [but also] just give it as much rest as possible. We pushed it to the limit and now it’s crunch time, so we have to get ready to go.”

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston also revealed that surgery was considered for Gardiner’s ailment, however it seems like it was ruled out. Some wonder if a necessary procedure was postponed because of the postseason… 

“It was debated, but we decided that it wasn’t need at this time.”

In last night’s loss, Gardiner recorded 16 minutes and 51 seconds of ice-time and did not look like he had missed the past 18 games. 

Maple Leafs fans can only hope he will remain healthy for the playoff run as the Bruins will surely do everything they can to push him and possibly get him to aggravate his back ailment. 

It is a high-risk, high-reward move for Gardiner, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. 

Fans are excited to have him back in the fold despite having booed him at Scotiabank Arena in January during a couple of poor performances. 

They could end up booing him again if he gets injured again as the Leafs will be looking to win their first playoff series since 2004.

Source: Twitter