With the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom last week, the question posted by Mike Langlois at Vintage Leaf Memories seems a bit odd:
Lidstrom paved his way to multiple Norris' and a Conn Smythe by not being a physical defenseman, but merely the best positioned one in NHL history. Man other players haven't needed to grind it out with the big boys to win the Cup; Neidermeyer, Bourque, Coffey, etc... But as Mike puts it:
All this said, having watched him closely this past season and now in the AHL playoffs, I can’t help but wonder if he will ever be a defenseman that will thrive when the NHL playoffs turn gritty and highly physical—as they inevitably do. Yes, Gardiner is supremely skilled and can often skate away from trouble- and from opposing fore-checkers as well. But I saw a number of situations this past season where he struggled under heavy checking, and wasn’t nearly strong enough on the puck—and that wasn’t even playoff intensity hockey.
Read the rest of the article and give us your though.
Links after jump.
Leafs Shouldn't Draft Based on Need This Summer
Yeah, because the lack of top end talent doesn't need to be addressed or anything.
Leafs Nation Podcast: I Hear Leafs News
Leafs Nation Podcast number 15.
Q&A with Leafs Prospect Greg McKegg
Sadly he was not asked 'Who farted?".
