Two teams already set on making Gardiner an offer!

The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting ready to take on the Boston Bruins once again in the first round of the postseason, however, one of the players from the Canadian team might need to get his focus back on. 

Defenseman Jake Gardiner wants redemption after the Maple Leafs’ Game 7 loss to the Bruins in last spring’s first-round playoff series. While he is motivated to do better this time around, he could be somewhat distracted by ongoing rumours that some teams are looking to sign him as a free agent this summer. 

Gardiner has spent the entirety of his 551-game career in Toronto and will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time on July 1. The Leafs’ salary cap situation makes it hard for him to remain in Toronto so teams are getting ready to convince him to sign with them. 

According to NBC’s Pierre McGuire, two teams might have an edge to pursue the Minnesota native: the Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks. McGuire believes Gardiner would like to go closer to home and these two teams could be successful in getting him to sign long-term. 

Time will tell if the Leafs will be able to keep him on the roster, however, some believe Gardiner might want to see what he’ll fetch on the open market. After a rough patch in January where  Gardiner was booed off the ice by home fans after a poor short-handed play against Colorado’s Carl Soderberg, a move closer to come could be what he is looking for. 

Last season, Gardiner ranked in the top-20 among NHL defensemen with 52 points in 82 contests and followed that up with30 points (three goals, over 62 games this year. He was injured as a pair of back injuries wound cost him 20 games. 

We will have to see what he decides to do and how well he plays against Boston this time around…