Jake Gardiner is misunderstood.



Despite being in his sixth season of (mostly) regular NHL duty and routinely contributing 30 points per season, detractors have routinely fixated on Gardiner’s defensive lapses and “lackadaisical play.” The 26-year-old defenceman is sometimes pitched as a soft, laid-back player who hasn’t mastered the defensive side of the game.



Sometimes, the negative assessment of Gardiner seems true. For example:



Whether or not Gardiner made a mistake on this play, it is this sort of blown coverage situation that seems to prevent fans from accepting Gardiner as a top-pair NHL defenceman.



Some even question his NHL status entirely:



From Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran’s Breakaway Blog:



QUESTION: Kevin,



Why oh why does Jake Gardiner have an NHL roster spot? It seems to me that old and new management have been waiting for him to “blossom,” but we are now years into...