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Leafs: Jonathan Bernier Trade Another Example of Starting Fresh

By David Morassutti

Nov 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) gives up a goal to New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) during the second period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) gives up a goal to New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) during the second period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Jonathan Bernier traded to the Anaheim Ducks, the Toronto Maple Leafs are making it clear they want a fresh start moving forward

As the summer kicks into full gear, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a statement with their most recent trade: There is still work to be done moving forward with this team.

When the Leafs acquired Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks, the writing was on the wall for Jonathan Bernier and his time in Toronto. No one knew whether they would try to trade him right away, keep him around as the backup, trade him during the upcoming season or let him walk as a UFA.

The Leafs made that decision on Friday, when they traded Bernier to the Ducks for a conditional draft pick in 2017, ending another messy situation created by the former regime. He finished his career in Toronto with a 59-68-17 record in 151 games, with a 2.80 GAA and a .915 save percentage.

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While many were excited and surprise to hear the news of the trade, it is a reminder that the Leafs rebuild plan is still in its early stages, with more moves expected to come. Toronto now has $3.55-million in cap space as a result of the trade,

This will probably be used towards Auston Matthews’ contract, a backup goaltender, the addition of another player (possibly James Wisniewski) and still be in contention for Jimmy Vesey in August. What allowed the Leafs to make this deal was the financial strength of MLSE, because they paid Bernier’s $2-million bonus and made him a more affordable option for Anaheim, who are considered a budget team.

Unlike when the San Jose Sharks traded for Martin Jones (another understudy to Jonathan Quick), the Leafs wanted Bernier to compete and win the starting job, instead of handing it to him. This was mainly because James Reimer was still here and they wanted a “healthy competition” that would push both goalies, in order to compensate for the poor defence in front of them.

When Bernier was first acquired by the Leafs, the moves raised a lot of eyebrows. The team had made the playoffs the previous season after a strong season by Reimer and the team needed to address other areas.

The other flaw in the trade was the fact the team wanted a competition between Reimer and Bernier. with history showing this was unlikely to yield a positive outcome. As long as both were on the team, the debate of who should be the number one goalie was never going to go away – not a healthy situation for any team.

Leafs
Apr 8, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) enters the game as goalie James Reimer (34) exits against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

With Reimer moving off to Florida and Bernier to Anaheim, the Leafs can finally move from what was an unnecessary disaster left by the old management group led by Dave Nonis. Now the team can confidently say Andersen is the starting goaltender and whoever they bring in will be the backup.

They will be no promises of a competition going into camp between the two goalies the way it – should have been from the start. For Bernier, he will play for a familiar coach in Randy Carlyle and get a chance to play games behind John Gibson, who should get the bulk of the games for Anaheim. (Although we know nothing is a guarantee with Carlyle.)

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The trade should come as a relief for Leafs fans, because much like the moves made with David Clarkson, Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel, they intend on starting fresh, albeit with more moves still to be made. Eventually, a decision will have to made on Joffrey Lupul, although at this point Toronto might have to let that situation play out and hope he can still provide them some sort of value, even as a role model for the younger players coming in next season.

Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk only have two more years left on their deals. However, if they can stay healthy this season and produce like they did last season, they should be kept around as a part of their new regime.

They did that with Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly with their new contract extensions, which will benefit the Leafs when it comes to managing the salary cap. The team will still bring in cheaper options in free agency, but those players will be reserved to lower-depth roles unlike the past few years, when they were expected to be key contributors.

Next: Auston Matthews talks about the weather

What do you think about the Bernier trade? Do you think the Leafs should have received more for him or did they do the right thing in moving out his cap hit and getting less in return? Let us know in the comments section below.

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