New Toronto Maples Leaf’s head coach, Mike Babcock’s policy when it comes to the goaltender has generally been to have a clear number one. This fact in itself means that training camp will certainly be quite intriguing as James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier compete for the spot.
Jonathan Bernier would appear to be the favorite, having inked a new two year, $8.3-million deal, which surely suggests he may be the number one in the eyes of the Toronto Maple Leafs backroom. This is a thought that was likewise shared by us when Editor In Leaf reported the new deal earlier in the summer.
“You look at good teams and you play defense first. That helps the goalies.”
However, on the flip of this, James Reimer is headed towards free agency at the end of the season, and the Leafs may be smart to give him a decent chance in the hopes of trading him later in the season. Either that, or expect Reimer to be incredibly motivated in the hopes of inking an equally lucrative new deal.
Speaking to the Toronto Sun, Bernier is somewhat philosophical in his approach stating, “Defence is going to be very important, that’s how you win. You look at good teams and you play defense first. That helps the goalies.”
Clearly, it’s not lost on him that in previous seasons, no matter how much hard work the goalie has or hasn’t put in; if the men in front of him aren’t performing, losses occur.
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Reimer, likewise, is positive about the season ahead, saying “I think we’re going to come out to play every night and we’re going to be super-competitive. As a player, as a goalie, that’s what you look forward to, being there every night and hopefully proving people wrong.”
As seen in the positive comments by both Jonathan and James, everyone seems very excited about the Toronto Maple Leafs’ new direction, under the management team led by Lou Lamoriello, Brendan Shanahan and Mike Babcock.
However, with all this said, it’ll be up to the individuals to prove their worth come opening night. Jonathan Bernier, all things considered, should expect to be the starting goaltender against Montreal, but it’ll be up to him to put in the performances to maintain the position.
Last year, with the workload split relatively evenly between the pairing, it was always Jonathan Bernier that was statistically the better performer.
His .912 save percentage for the 2014-15 season beats out Reimer’s .907, neither appearing that great though, as it placed them at 41st and 52nd overall in the league, according to SportingCharts.
Feb 14, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) before the game against Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
On wins, James Reimer tallied only 9 last year whereas his counterpart, Jonathan Bernier notched up 21.
The same pattern goes for goals against; Bernier averaging 2.87, whereas Reimer averaged 3.16; all suggesting that Bernier is the better option.
You could argue that given the year the team had and the poor defensive performances all round, it’s a little unfair to look at these sorts of statistics and grasp any true meaning. My opinion is that goal-tending shouldn’t be a major concern at this stage of the rebuild.
Jonathan Bernier, I believe, still has plenty of potential as the back-stop to a play-off team; he doesn’t let his head drop even if he’s having a nightmare of a game and most importantly, he can still be relied upon to put his body in front of shots all night long.
He isn’t someone to go through the motions; when he’s playing, it’s clear he’s playing.
The same can be said of Reimer; however he to me has always felt like a backup option. Granted, he was the last Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender to see playoff action, but his averages have never screamed elite.
He is a solid performer, but hasn’t yet managed to bring a new level to his game. Whether this changes in the coming season with a new coaching team and his Leafs future on the line, we shall see.
For now though, it’s somewhat clear that goal-tending isn’t a major concern for Toronto; they have two solid and reliable figures in Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer and should look to see through the next year before any rash decisions.
Both men will be facing up to expectations of sort this year and it’s my hope that both out-match them.
Next: Leafs: Health Is A Rebuilding Key
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