A number one defenceman job just opened up and it’s time to see if Jake Gardiner can fill it.



The circumstances surrounding the opening are a blow to the Leafs defence that’s already suspect. Morgan Rielly, the Leafs de facto number one defenceman, left early in last Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres with a lower-body injury and has missed the past two games as a result. In his absence Gardiner has had to step up.



Usually, Rielly handles the toughest assignments, a job head coach Mike Babcock didn’t seem to trust many with. Thanks to the injury, he’ll need to start. Gardiner is the next left-handed defenceman in line and it appears like it’s now his job – for better or worse.



This is where it turns into another analytics vs. traditionalist debate surely no one is sick of by now. On one side, there’s the group who look at the numbers and know Gardiner is good. Really good, actually. On the other side,...