Isn't that good? Sorry pal but facts state otherwise, lets review
1. He cracked the lineup right out of camp which meant Wilson thought he deserved to be on the team.
2. He put up 30 points in 73 games, most of them came in the 2nd half when the team was in a tailspin, pretty impressive for a 21 year old defencemen.
3. Both Wilson AND Carlyle gave him top 4 D pairing minutes, these guys know a lot more about hockey then you or I know, I think their opinion trumps yours
4. Big bodied defencemen usually take longer to develop, the fact Gardiner was able to not just make the team but to keep his spot for the entire season speaks volumes.