The Toronto Marlies will be without injured defenceman Jake Gardiner until after Christmas.
Gardiner has been suffering from a sore neck and headaches since receiving a blindside hit against Rochester on Dec. 8. While the Marlies haven’t confirmed Gardiner suffered a concussion, coach Dallas Eakins is playing it safe with the team’s top defenceman.
“He has a concussion and it’s going to be tough now with the protocol. He’s going to need to get back in practice. The way our schedule is, we’re just not going to move him forward very quickly. So he’ll for sure be out until after the holiday,” Eakins said after practice Tuesday.
The Marlies play four games in the next eight days, followed by a back-to-back set in Grand Rapids beginning Dec. 28.
Gardiner has nine goals and 17 points in 22 games with the Marlies this season. He had seven goals and 30 points in 75 games with the Maple Leafs last season.
Toronto’s leading scorer Nazem Kadri and veteran centre Mike Zigomanis are also sidelined with injuries and could be out until after Christmas.
Nazem kadri(hip flexor), mike zigomanis(shoulder) and jake gardiner(upper body) are all out untill after xmas.#marlies
— Paul Hendrick (@HennyTweets) December 18, 2012
The Marlies are currently second in the North Division with 31 points (15-9-0-1) and fifth in the Western Conference.
