Toronto Maple Leafs: Examining Brian Burke’s Roberto Luongo trade story
By Paul Taylor
3) Comparing Luongo and Bernier
Admittedly this is an extremely unfair comparison to make, in respect of there is absolutely zero doubt Luongo was, is and always will be the better of the two. However, we still wanted to compare the statistics of the goaltenders for a certain time period, mostly out of curiosity.
More specifically, let’s consider a four-year period between the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season (which started after the Leafs fired Burke) and the end of the 2015-6 campaign, after which Bernier was traded to Anaheim.
- Luongo: 97-67-28 in 195 starts (199 total appearances)
- Bernier: 68-71-18 in 152 starts (165 total appearances)
- Luongo: 2.38 GAA & 0.919 save %
- Bernier: 2.73 GAA & 0.915 save %
- Luongo: 0.563% quality starts & 0.123% really bad starts
- Bernier: 0.546% quality starts & 0.164% really bad starts
- Luongo: 29.5 shot attempts per game
- Bernier: 32.3 shot attempts per game
The statistical comparison makes for some intriguing reading. Bernier actually compares reasonably well to Luongo, when considering their respective save percentages and quality starts.
For anyone who would have traded for Luongo regardless of the package demanded by the Canucks, they will theoretically point towards the win-loss records and goals against averages. However, these can be influenced by the quality of the teammates around you, with Bernier arguably having a weaker supporting cast for the majority of the time period we are considering.
Lunogno was prone to less bad starts as per his lower really bad starts percentage. In defence of Bernier, he would often face more shots per game than his counterpart, although his previously mentioned inconsistency would have also been a detriment at times.