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TORONTO – On draft day in the summer of 2012, the Maple Leafs parted with a defenceman they once viewed as an anchor of the future, a top-five overall selection they traded up to land in the first round of the 2008 draft. Luke Schenn was picked 12 spots ahead of Jake Gardiner. Looming this summer for Dave Nonis and Toronto management is a decision similar to the one faced when it came to Schenn - deciding when to cut bait with a high-upside, but potentially flawed prospect. Then-Leafs general manager Brian Burke made the choice at just the right time with Schenn, who is back in town on Saturday, sending him to Philadelphia for James van Riemsdyk, the one-time second-overall selection who had yet to blossom as a Flyer. Gardiner has stalled in his third NHL season, only sparingly resembling the emphatic, change-of-pace defender he was in the playoffs last spring and before that, as a rookie, under then-head coach Ron Wilson. Like Schenn, the 23-year-old was viewed very recently as a concrete piece of the Leafs future, a status that has muddied with each game gone by, his performance wavering uncertainly in each of the past two seasons. Gardiner, whose name has been floated in trade rumours constantly, is a restricted free agent this summer and its at that point that a choice will definitively be made on his future with the Leafs. Though he still leads the team in even-strength ice-time this season, he has seen his opportunities consistently plummet; from a season-high of nearly 24 minutes nightly in December down to less than 21 in January to fewer than 19 in February and now to a season-low of about 17 in early March. Theres upside there – his elite skating ability most prominent – and the Leafs know it, but in some doubt now is whether that upside can be unlocked or whether the former Wisconsin star is too flawed in other areas to make him worth hanging onto, especially with younger defenders like Morgan Rielly, Stuart Percy and Matt Finn already in the prospect chain. Unlike Nazem Kadri, who tested the organizations patience, but eventually offered sustained stretches of development, Gardiners play has been mostly erratic since his rookie debut. There was a six-game spell in the playoffs against Boston with other hints proving infrequent. Its well established that defencemen typically take longer to mature than forwards – Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson among the notable exceptions – all of which complicates the decision-making process when it comes to Gardiner. His inconsistent play in the past two seasons may be just be part of the development curve. Once a defenceman himself, head coach Randy Carlyle joked that it took "too long" for him to finally mature into a well-rounded NHL defender, offering insight into why the process lingers at the position. "I think because you handle the puck more," said Carlyle, who won a Norris Trophy in his fifth season. "Theres more pressure on a defenceman in the game to handle the puck and make the right decision with the puck and youre constantly under pressure from the opposition trying to strip you of the puck, body-check, all of those things…" Tim Gleason, a 31-year-old and member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic team in Vancouver, said it was only a few years ago that he found his bearings at the NHL level. His response as to why it took as long as it did mirrored Carlyle. "The more you do it the more used to it you get and it slows down a tiny bit," he told the Leaf Report. "Its different than being a forward; you have pressure on you instead of giving pressure. As a forward, youre taught to pressure the puck as quick as you can, as fast as you can. As a defenceman, your job is to protect the puck, get the puck out being under pressure. I think thats a big deal." Gardiner has struggled in that regard. His decision-making with the puck and, even without it, has been flawed. Hes made wholehearted attempts to make "smarter plays with the puck," "not making so many turnovers and or, at least, not in bad areas," but its remained an ongoing issue anyway. At Carlyles prodding, hs also tried to become a stiffer defender, stating his intent to work on things such as "having one hand on my stick, body position, finishing checks." Hes watched a lot of video, too, even pulling his performance from that memorable series against the Bruins at one point earlier this year. Its tantalizing performances like that – when he had five points in six games – that surely give Nonis and his team pause when it comes to moving on from Gardiner. Schenn was dealt only nine months after he signed a rich, five-year deal with the Leafs. It was determined that his shortcomings – foot speed specifically – would ultimately keep him from reaching the promise that saw the club move up two spots to select him in the 08 draft. With his value still at a point where it could seemingly fetch some sort of return, Gardiners shortcomings could force another such decision in the months ahead. The Toronto defence has been a source of instability all year and will certainly require an upgrade or two in the offseason. Whether Gardiner and Cody Franson, a fellow restricted free agent, fit into that mix remains to be seen. Four members of the Leaf back-end are signed beyond this season – Gleason, Rielly, Dion Phaneuf and Carl Gunnarsson – all seemingly on more solid ground within the organization than either Gardiner or Franson. Theres upside there with the Minnesota native. In question is whether the Leafs will keep waiting for it. Jerry Tillery Jersey . Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood tall with 41 saves between the pipes, but it was defenceman Ryan McDonagh who got the first star of the game as he had a goal and an assist and now has two goals and four assists for six points in two games. Dan Fouts Jersey . Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. http://www.cheapchargersjerseysauthentic...on-stick-jersey. The Tournament of Champions, which starts Friday, is his first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International when he took a tumble and injured his left knee. Nasir Adderley Jersey .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 16th consecutive victory across all competitions on Saturday after earning a 2-1 win over Malaga at the Estadio La Rosaleda. Cheap Chargers Jerseys . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. BRASILIA, Brazil -- Switzerland grabbed a winner with virtually the final kick to earn a 2-1 victory over Ecuador in the World Cup on Sunday, extending a run of come-from-behind wins that are becoming a theme of the tournament. With just seconds left in the third and final minute of stoppage time, substitute Haris Seferovic finished off a length-of-the-field move by slamming home a close-range shot. After wild Swiss celebrations, Ecuadors shell-shocked players barely had time to restart before the final whistle was blown. It was the fifth time in the first nine matches in Brazil that a team had come from a goal down to win -- but this was the most dramatic of all the comebacks. "It was a dream to be able to win this match in the very last minute like this," Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said through a translator. "It was emotional -- it will be important for the morale of the team." Sluggish in the first half-hour, Switzerland -- highly fancied after rising to No. 6 in the FIFA rankings -- conceded a sloppy goal to go behind when Enner Valencia rose unmarked in the 22nd minute and headed in a free kick from six yards (meters). Ecuadors defending for the 48th-minute equalizer was just as abject, however, with Admir Mehmedi finding space from even closer in to nod in a corner. With Mehmedi and Seferovic both second-half substitutes, it was no wonder that the wily Hitzfeld -- a veteran coach with two Champions League titles on his resume -- had a huge grin on his face at the final whistle. Not so his counterpart. "We were naive and that cost us the game," Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rieda said. "(The loss) is more our fault. We were notbeaten by our opponent." After being among the bores of the last two World Cups, it was expected to be all change for Switzerland with Hitzfeld putting his faith in a young, dynamic class of 2014 that had come up together through the national youth ranks. But nerves ensured they started the World Cup poorly, misplacing simple passes and overhitting crossses in a drab first half.ddddddddddddThe second half wasnt much better either -- but Seferovic rescued them, having only come on in the 75th minute for the ineffective Josip Drmic. The Real Sociedad forward scored a 90th-minute winner against Cyprus in June in Switzerlands unbeaten run through qualifying but he has lost his place to the emerging Drmic. "Haris is a striker through and through," Hitzfeld said. "What he lacked was practice in terms of playing time at Real Sociedad. In the tournament build-up, he performed excellently but he still needs time to develop." Seferovic scored the crucial goal, but teammate Valon Behrami deserves just as much credit. It was the central midfielder who produced a perfectly timed tackle in his own box and then embarked on a lung-bursting run up the field in the lead-up to the winning goal. At one stage, he was hacked down near the centre circle but he got up and carried on his run, with the referee playing an excellent advantage. The ball was fed to the left, where left back Ricardo Rodriguez -- who set up Mehmedi for the equalizer -- slid a low cross for Seferovic to crash a finish high in to the net. Cue Switzerlands entire bench spilling into the pitch to celebrate with Seferovic, with some players choosing to mob Behrami. "It was a great feeling," Behrami said. "Those 30 seconds were amazing for us." FIFA President Sepp Blatter was present -- and was booed by sections of the crowd -- for what was probably the poorest game at this World Cup in terms of quality. Thousands of fans missed the first part of the match because of long queues to pass through security. It meant there were still plenty of empty seats when Valencia stole a yard on Johan Djourou and guided a simple header into the net from Walter Ayovis free kick, with Switzerland goalkeeper Diego Benaglio left completely stranded. It was one of the few clear-cut chances created by Ecuador, which