Kamiccolo
Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
Ellis just took 8 years 6.25 AAV and I think that sets the ceiling for Gardiner's next deal at the moment. This is assuming he WANTS to stay a Leaf and doesn't want to chase a paycheck as a UFA in a year. By all accounts he loves playing here so it's possible a deal can be reached around 6m AAV maybe even a bit less (a matching Rielly deal?) in the next month before training camp.
IMO it is imperative he gets signed to a long term deal. He is our 2nd best D, and Nashville has shown us you can never have too stacked of a D core and it means Dermott will likely have to move over to the right side, which MAY already be the plan, to play him with Rielly there.
If that is the case, it means that if Zaitsev rebounds that is a very solid top 4 going forward with tons of cheap quality pieces coming behind them.
IMO it is imperative he gets signed to a long term deal. He is our 2nd best D, and Nashville has shown us you can never have too stacked of a D core and it means Dermott will likely have to move over to the right side, which MAY already be the plan, to play him with Rielly there.
If that is the case, it means that if Zaitsev rebounds that is a very solid top 4 going forward with tons of cheap quality pieces coming behind them.