Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has a very big puzzle to figure out over the next year. It starts immediately with William Nylander and his contract situation as the 22 year old is a restricted free agent and currently without a contract. Fast forward to next summer and Dubas will have to figure out contracts for forwards Josh Leivo, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson.He's also got a very interesting piece on defense he's got to make a decision on and that's 28 year old Jake Gardiner. Gardiner will be UFA during the summer of 2019 and 29 years old, the Leafs defenseman definitely has the fan base divided. Some fans don't want him on the Leafs at all, especially after last season's elimination game performance, however it looks like Dubas might want him around. While appearing on TSN radio recently, James Mirtle of The Athletic confirmed that the Leafs have spoken to Gardiner's agent about a new contract:"I know that Gardiner's agent Pat Brisson–the same agent as Tavares–has met with Kyle Dubas and talked about Jake Gardiner's contract. So it's on their radar. I'm sure that management just wants to know what he's asking for and they can make the decision on whether they want to meet that price or not. "
Do you want Gardiner around long term?
