Why the Vancouver Canucks shouldn’t sign Jake Gardiner

Some are suggesting the Vancouver Canucks should target Jake Gardiner in free agency, but he’s simply not going to be worth the money here.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning knows he has to upgrade his blueline this offseason, and the 2019 free agent class will give him plenty of opportunities to do so.

He has to build around 2018 first round pick Quinn Hughes, who has all the makings to be a superstar. Benning will also need to re-sign top blueliner Alexander Edler. He’ll also have to make decisions on Chris Tanev (a UFA next year) and Ben Hutton — a restricted free agent.

It’s hard to envision Benning making a play for Norris Trophy blueliner Erik Karlsson — the top free agent in this year’s class. However, there are secondary options like the hulking Tyler Myers, or Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Jake Gardiner.

The latter is probably done in Toronto after another frustrating performance in the postseason, where Gardiner quickly became the unfair scapegoat yet again. Free agency is two months away, but some folks are already wondering if Gardiner would be a good fit on the Canucks.

At first glance, one might view Gardiner as the perfect player for head coach Travis Green. He’s a smooth-skating blueliner with strong puck-moving skills. Gardiner is just a year removed from a career-best 52-point season.

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Gardiner turns 29 in July and should have no problem landing a multi-year deal worth around $6 million a season.

If Gardiner was a bit younger and was better defensively, he’d be worth pursuing. But the Canucks need to avoid the temptation of signing Gardiner, because he’s not going to be worth all the money in the long run.

Though Gardiner carries a respectable 52.2 career Corsi For percentage, he’s simply far too turnover-prone. He gave the puck away 105 times last year and 53 times in 62 games this season. In all, Gardiner has 530 giveaways in 551 NHL games.

Gardiner tries to get too fancy with the puck sometimes, and he made too many mistakes during the 2018 and 2019 playoffs against the Boston Bruins. For as good as he is offensively, Gardiner is too much of a liability in his own end. The goal for the Canucks is to cut back on the defensive meltdowns here, no?

The Canucks need to focus on more well-rounded defencemen who can play responsibly in their own end. Gardiner would improve the power play and contribute more offence on the back end, sure.

But the Canucks will be getting that help from Hughes, so why throw a long term deal worth $6 million-plus at a guy who’s about to enter his 30? It carries far more risk than reward. After the Loui Eriksson contract debacle, the Canucks cannot afford to carry another ageing and underperforming veteran on their roster as they try to piece together a championship team.

That’s why the Canucks need to avoid going after Jake Gardiner in free agency. He’s going to cost way too much for a one-dimensional blueliner, and the odds are Vancouver wouldn’t get enough from the money they’d have to pay him. At the end of the day, the front office needs to spend its cap space on addressing its top six — and to find reliable stay-at-home blueliners.