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Toronto Maple Leafs: Have Reimer And Sparks Stolen The #1?

By Cynthia Bin

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Is the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending equilibrium about to shift?

At the beginning of the season the starting goaltending situation seemed to have been decided. However, Jonathan Bernier went down surprisingly early into this season and the situation took a dramatic turn.

Bernier had gotten the majority of the starts while he was healthy, likely related to the two year $4.15M, per year, contract he signed over the summer. All signs seemed to point to that he was, indeed, the #1 guy.

Berniers partner in goal, James Reimer, is now on the last year of his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is about to enter the world of free agency. Things weren’t looking too bright for Reimer as far as his future in Toronto was concerned before/during this rebuild process.

Reimer was struggling with his game and confidence on the ice.  As opportunity knocked with Bernier down and out, Reimer was once again playing as the Toronto Maple Leafs #1 in relief. Reimer had been given the chance to convince the Leafs that he can still, somehow, be “their guy.” Reimer has potentially started a petition to to prove that he deserves another contract.

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Can he he be a part of the future? Part of the success of the new Leafs machine lead by Babcock and Shanahan? Did Reimer take full advantage of this unlucky (for Bernier) situation?

Bernier’s injury not only affected things on the NHL level, it is also affected things on the AHL level.

There was a complete shift in starting goaltenders for the Toronto Marlies. Antoine Bibeau, who was given the majority of the Marlies starts, was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs on emergency basis to back up James Reimer.

Bibeau however, has yet to see any playing time during his stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Bibeau up in the NHL it opened up an opportunity for Garret Sparks to try and earn the #1 spot in the Marlies net.

Sparks worked his way back up to the AHL after being sent down to the ECHL in Orlando last season. This season, he was given the opportunity to prove he belongs in the AHL on a full-time basis.

Last year Bibeau split time with Christopher Gibson, who has since been moved out when he was traded to the New York Islanders in the preseason. This solidified that Sparks would have his chance in the AHL. Sparks posted a 2.34 GAA and a .936 save percentage with the Solar Bears last season, gaining him top honors in the ECHL.

Up until the Bernier injury, Bibeau was getting the majority of the starts and had looked to be Sheldon Keefe’s guy.

Now, with Sparks coming in hot, has Bibeaus #1 spot been challenged or even stolen out from under him? Has Bibeau, who has been up with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the last two weeks, benefited from practicing with the Maple Leafs and Babcock? Has he learned anything to take back with him to the AHL? Or has sitting on the bench and not getting any actual playing time put Sparks at an unfair advantage?

Yes, every goalies dream is to make it to the NHL but is “filling in” just as valuable as actual playing time in the AHL?

Since this is a rebuild, isn’t the future focused on developing down on the AHL level? It will be interesting to see if Sparks will remain at the helm of the cage, or if Bibeau will just reclaim his roll as the #1 guy, since Bibeau was reassigned to the Toronto Marlies this afternoon.

So far with the Marlies this season Sparks has posted a 2.24 GAA and .932 save percentage. Sparks counterpart Antoine Bibeau in six games has posted a 2.17 GAA with a .908 save percentage before being called up to the Maple Leafs.

So far it looks like advantage Sparks.

Sparks also recently won the CCM/AHL Player of the week award for posting a 1.62 GAA with a .950 save percentage and a 3-0-0 record on the road last week. One of those wins being a 5-0 victory over Hartford.

He currently sits at a 19-8-2 2.26 GAA an a .921 save percentage in 33 career AHL games. In 37 career AHL games Bibeau is sitting at a .911 Save Percentage and 2.43 GAA.

Once again, just based on stats, advantage Sparks.

It will be interesting to see who gets the nod on Friday against the Ice Caps.

Going back to the NHL goaltending battle, it is one of the most divided battles in the eyes of the Toronto Maple Leafs fan base.

Never has there been so much debate on who is the better goaltender. Reimer is good and yes, so is Bernier. It just depends on the night/slump. Every goalie has a bad game/slump. Believe it or not, goalies are, indeed, human.

Since Reimer has come in relief for of Bernier he has posted some really impressive stats. For instance, in the two game series against Dallas this season, Reimer managed to stop 79 of 82 pucks, those shots coming from one of the hottest teams in the NHL.

On the current season Reimer is sitting at a 3-3-1 Record. (He holds the only three wins for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.) He has also posted a 2.56 GAA and a .916 Save percentage. Jonathan Bernier currently sits at a 0-6-1 with a 3.02 GAA and .899 save percentage. In this situation, based on stats alone and not overall team performance, once again it’s advantage Reimer.

In the last five games in relief of Bernier, Reimer has averaged a .937 save percentage a 2.00 GAA. Needless to say, Reimer has stepped his game up and looks hungry to gain his starting role back. He has fully taken advantage of this opportunity. He looks like the confident Reimer that brought the Toronto Maple Leafs to the playoffs for the first time in almost 10 years just a few years ago.

This looks like Reimer with so much promise that the Maple Leafs have greatly missed, the Reimer who seemed to lose his spark when Carlyle and Nonis decided to bring Bernier into town and go in a different direction. Nobody knows what Babcock’s plan or direction will be going to be going forward, or even who will get the nod the next game. Bernier is hungry for a larger, long term, contract and he doesn’t want to step down anytime soon. James Reimer wants to keep a starting job in the NHL. The goaltending battle is just about to start now that Reimer is a real contender again.

The next week will be interesting to watch because both “#2’s” on each team have made a mark on their respective clubs when they were put into the #1 position. Both Reimer and Sparks have carried their teams to some important wins despite being out-shot and have both increased theirs stats significantly. Both goaltenders have made quite the mark.

Will the old balance now be restored with Bernier and Bibeau returning to their respective teams? Or have Reimer and Sparks presented solid cases to show that they deserve more starts and potentially the #1 job on their teams. The goaltending situation in Toronto just got a little bit more interesting. Four goalies, two starting jobs, and a long, challenging season ahead of them.

Here we have two different “backup” goalies with two very similar goals, on a slightly different scale.

Reimer and Sparks are two goalies who both have something to prove in their respective pro hockey worlds. The opportunity for the #1 job is right in front of them. The question is, have either of them stepped up during the time they were given and earn the job?

Let the battle begin.

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