Despite the fact the Toronto Maple Leafs may not have the money to pay defenseman Jake Gardiner properly when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, the Leafs defenseman is expecting Ryan Ellis-type money.

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is reporting Ryan Ellis’ recent extension with the Nashville Predators (eight-years, $6.25 million per season) is the comparable Leafs’ defenseman Gardiner will be using when it comes time to re-sign with the Leafs, or whatever team it is that obtains his services.

Simmons knows that to compare Gardiner to Ellis isn't really fair, but he believes the offensive blueliner should be in the same conversation as Nashville's newest long-term blueliner and, more importantly, it might not matter.

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via The Leafs Nation

Ellis’ contract has been viewed by most NHL insiders as a deal or hometown discount for the Predators. While possible, it seems unlikely Gardiner is willing to do the same. Now arguably the second-best defenseman available in free agency this summer — behind only Erik Karlsson — Gardiner stands to make a lot of money if he lets teams start bidding for his services. If this happens, this is not good news for Toronto.

This summer, the Leafs spent a lot of money on center John Tavares. They did so with an already loaded forward corps and in the process, hampered themselves when it comes to the NHL salary cap. Now struggling with how to keep players like William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews in the system, Gardiner is being somewhat overlooked, despite the fact the Leafs are weakest on defense.

It will be interesting to see how Toronto manages this situation. Gardiner is not an asset the team would be happy to lose. But, if the defenseman wants to get paid and thinks he can earn the same type of contract Ryan Ellis did, he must realize he'll be hard-pressed to get that deal in Toronto.

Is getting Tavares worth the loss of Gardiner on the blue line? If Gardiner won't take a discount in Toronto, fans might be asking that question in a year's time.

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