Anatomy Of A Jonathan Bernier Trade

The Leafs could end up with 3, or even 4 first round picks at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

San Jose’s Trade Proposal:

Why it will work:

San Jose doesn’t trust Niemi, for good reasons, Niemi has been one of the main weak links for this team all season. San Jose appears poised to go for a youth movement and has tried to force Jumbo Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau and their large cap hits out of the door for two seasons now. Just like the Ducks, the Sharks know they have to beat the Kings to advance in the playoffs, Bernier’s knowledge of the team and it’s shooters is another boon here.

Why it won’t work:

The Sharks decide to go with a cheaper, stop-gap option in net. The Sharks don’t want to include Nikloai Goldobin or Chris Tierney in the deal. There are a few reasons this deal could fall apart, none of them major, but enough analysts, insiders and experts have linked the Sharks to Bernier for me to believe “where there is smoke there is fire” in this scenario.

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