NHL free agency: 5 teams who should sign Jake Gardiner

With Erik Karlsson and Alexander Edler off the market, Jake Gardiner is the best defensemen available in NHL free agency in 2019. Let’s take a look at his five most likely suitors.

The 2019 NHL free agency market for defensemen got cold fast. At first, it seemed like both Erik Karlsson and Alexander Edler could be on the market, along with Jake Gardiner. Now, only Gardiner will be on the market. By a wide margin, he’ll be the best blueliner available on the free agent market.

Yes, this means Gardiner is almost indefinitely going to get overpaid. However, let’s look at the facts. Gardiner has played over 20 minutes per night for most of his career. He’ll be turning 29 very shortly (on July 4, to be precise). Gardiner has at least 30 points in each of his last four seasons.

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Teams looking to improve their defense aren’t going to have many places to turn. This is great for Gardiner, as it should ensure he gets the long-term deal he wants despite the fact that he’s about to turn 29.

He will have to answer for his injury issues in 2018-19, though it appears he is over them. Let’s take a look at five teams who should pursue the former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman in free agency.

5. Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a darkhorse candidate to sign Gardiner. On paper, the fit doesn’t make too much sense. Why would Gardiner sign with a rebuilding team? However, general manager Steve Yzerman knows how to build a winner, so he could talk him into coming to the Motor City.

Currently, the Red Wings only have one defenseman on their roster signed past the 2019-20 season – Danny DeKeyser. Obviously, guys like Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek are going to play big roles for the Red Wings. But still, you need to bring in some veteran guys. Gardiner, if the Red Wings are willing to pay the price, would make sense in Detroit.

4. Minnesota Wild

Jake Gardiner is from Minnesota. If he wants to return home, the Minnesota Wild are his best option. The Minnetonka native would probably at least consider returning to his home state for the right price.

According to Pierre McGuire, he expects the Wild to pursue Gardiner. Granted, he also mentioned the Chicago Blackhawks. They were probably in the running before they traded for Olli Maatta. Now that their left side of the defense is full, they probably aren’t going to sign him.

If the Wild decide to move on from Jonas Brodin, who has two years left on his deal, Gardiner would make sense for the Wild. Ryan Suter would gobble up most of the tough minutes for the first years of Gardiner’s deal. Gardiner could also take on some of the tough minutes himself, easing the burden on Suter.

Of course, nobody really knows what the heck the Wild are doing. Why are they trying to trade Jason Zucker when it’s painfully obvious they won’t be able to get a good return for him? What were they thinking with the Nino Niederreiter trade? Why are they even considering signing Gardiner if they aren’t a contender?

But maybe the Wild can throw enough money at Gardiner that he’ll decide to return home.

3. Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars could be looking to add a top-four defenseman this offseason. If you remember last summer, they nearly traded for Erik Karlsson. That’s because they really need a right-handed defenseman.

Unfortunately for the Stars, there aren’t many good right-handed defensemen on the market. Anton Stralman could be an option, but he’s coming off one of his worst seasons. Tyler Myers is overrated, plus the Winnipeg Jets are likely going to re-sign him anyway.

According to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic, the Stars will consider signing Gardiner. They would have to deal with the expansion draft in a few years, but that’s a problem they could solve by then.

Another issue with signing Gardiner is that the Stars would have to move either Esa Lindell or Miro Heiskanen to the right side. Gardiner exclusively plays on the left side. Even when he played with Morgan Rielly, a fellow left-handed defenseman, Rielly was the one who played on the right side.

However, the Stars have proven to be aggressive when pursuing what they want. That’s how they got Jim Montgomery as their head coach. It’s how the Stars nearly managed to trade for Karlsson. If Dallas wants to sign Gardiner, they’ll be a very tempting option for Gardiner.

2. Montreal Canadiens

Man, could you imagine if Jake Gardiner, a former Maple Leafs defenseman, signs with the Montreal Canadiens? There hasn’t been a heel turn that significant since Sgt. Slaughter denounced America and became an Iraqi sympathizer.

In all honesty, Gardiner would make a ton of sense for the Canadiens. Their blueline is pretty well set, except they could use a difference maker on the left side. It would help if that difference maker was a puck-moving defenseman.

Gardiner certainly qualifies. The Canadiens know what he’s capable of. Gardiner would be a great partner for Shea Weber on their top pairing. Weber is still a very good defenseman, but he needs a partner who can help with transition. Gardiner’s strength happens to be his ability to move the puck.

The Canadiens also have the cap space to sign him. Reportedly, Gardiner wants about $7 million annually. Yes, that’s a bit pricey. But Montreal needs help on the left side and Gardiner would provide it. The term could be a concern as well. But when have the Canadiens let that stop them?

Gardiner would help stabilize the Canadiens defense and give them the partner for Weber they’ve been looking for.