Gardiner left Thursday's game with what might be a knee injury, according to commentators on TSN. He came out to test it during a TV timeout, but immediately retreated to the dressing. It was initially thought to be an ankle injury, but he was seen outside the dressing room with ice on his knee. No word about his availability for the rest of the game.

Gardiner put home his first goal of the year Tuesday against the Sabres. The third-period tally was largely meaningless, extending the lead from 3-0 to 4-0 in a game that the Leafs completely dominated from start to finish. However, Gardiner otherwise put up a rather quiet stat line, with just one shot on goal, one hit and a takeaway in 23:25. A 10-goal, 31-point scorer last year, Gardiner has just two points and four shots on goal in his first seven games.

Gardiner will return to the lineup Friday against the Red Wings, Stephen Whyno of the Canadian Press reports. After serving as a healthy scratch for the last two games, Gardiner looks set to replace Stephane Robidas on defense. As arguably the Leafs' best defenseman in the latter stages of the 2013-14 season, Gardiner's recent removal from the lineup was puzzling, but it looks like he may have regained some of coach Randy Carlyle's trust. Gardiner will be paired with Morgan Rielly in his return.

Gardiner didn't take part in line rushes during Tuesday's pregame warmups and looks like he'll spend his second consecutive game in the press box, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports. Gardiner was scratched only two times for all of last season, so coach Randy Carlyle's decision comes as a curious one. The 24-year-old had an assist and a minus-3 rating over his first two games, but he surely makes the Leafs' lineup a better one when he plays.

Gardiner may be a healthy scratch again Tuesday, reports the Toronto Star. The Leafs won Sunday and coaches are generally superstitious about keeping a winning lineup intact, so Gardiner may once again be the odd man out. "It's understandable. It's how a lot of coaches think," Gardiner said after Monday's optional skate. He's considered a building block for the future, so he won't sit out for long. Just be prepared to adjust your lineup for Tuesday.

Gardiner has been scratched from Sunday's lineup, TSN's Jonas Siegel reports. The 24-year-old led the Leafs in ice time Saturday, so the move to leave him out as a healthy scratch is rather puzzling. Gardiner, who signed a four-year deal this offseason, isn't likely to find himself scratched very often going forward.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Jake Gardiner to a five-year, $20.25 million contract. In other words, Gardiner will come with a cap hit of a little over $4 million annually. That's not a bad deal for either side. The Maple Leafs are taking a bit of a risk, but Gardiner's just 24 years old and has the potential to be a top pairing defenseman with Toronto. He had 31 points and averaged 21:04 minutes per game in 2013-14.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Jake Gardiner to a five-year, $20.25 million contract. In other words, Gardiner will come with a cap hit of a little over $4 million annually. That's not a bad deal for either side. The Maple Leafs are taking a bit of a risk, but Gardiner's just 24 years old and has the potential to be a top pairing defenseman with Toronto. He had 31 points and averaged 21:04 minutes per game in 2013-14.

Jake Gardiner will probably end up with a bridge deal. "Talks are ongoing," Leafs GM Dave Nonis said. "Things are going fine. I don't see any hiccups there." The Leafs have a little more than $4 million in cap space left, based on CapGeek's numbers. That should be enough to get Gardiner under control. He had 10 goals and 31 points in 80 games in 2013-14.

Defenseman Jake Gardiner, 24, is coming off his entry-level contract with Toronto and likely headed towards a bridge deal with the Maple Leafs. etting the blue liner re-signed. "Talks are on-going," Nonis said. "Things are going fine. I don't see any hiccups there." According to CapGeek.com, the Leafs have $4.3 million in cap space now that they've got Reimer's deal done. With that kind of cushion, the Leafs have plenty of room to work out a short-term deal with the young defenseman. Leafs general manager Dave Nonis isn't worrying about getting Gardiner re-signed. "Talks are ongoing," he said. "Things are going fine. I don't see any hiccups there." Last season, Gardiner had 10 goals and 31 points in 80 games and averaged 21:05 of ice time per game.