The goaltending situation for the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2014-15 NHL season is one that most fans of the storied franchise are having trouble wrapping their heads around. Last season saw the newly acquired Jonathan Bernier share the starting role with an unpredictable James Reimer at the beginning of the season. With a fan-base deserving of some normalcy between the pipes in Toronto, this upcoming season is an important of a season as ever for those manning the goal. Here’s a look at what may happen with Bernier and Reimer as they head into yet another season with the blue and white.
The re-signing of Reimer by the Leafs earlier this offseason was more than a surprise to the majority of Leaf Nation. Reimer has done nothing but disappoint over his four-year career as a member of the Leafs, with only extremely short bursts of brilliance just to keep his limited fan-base wondering. Reimer owns a career .284 goals against average, coupled with a save percentage of .914. Reimer’s overall career numbers aren’t necessarily the issue that many have with the native of Morweena, Manitoba. It’s the fact that he lacks any sort of consistency in his play that keeps his many doubters confident that he cannot lead the Buds to the postseason. Reimer is at best a decent backup goaltender on only a small number of teams. Unfortunately for Leaf Nation, Dave Nonis and Brendan Shanahan seem to think otherwise, as Reimer has been told that he will have a shot at competing for the starting job over Bernier.
When Bernier was first acquired by the Leafs from the Los Angeles Kings, fans of the Maple Leafs rejoiced, as they were finally confident with their goaltending situation heading into last season. When they heard the unfortunate news that Bernier had to earn the starting gig by outplaying Reimer during what was only every other game, all confidence and excitement was lost.
Bernier is definitely the superior goaltender when you put the two side by side. The six-year veteran currently owns a career 2.52 goals against average, along with a save percentage of .918. Although his numbers are eerily similar to those belonging to Reimer, Bernier has proved that he can steal a fair share of games, and that’s the key to being a reliable number one goaltender. When he was finally named the club’s go-to guy just before the 2014 Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, MI, Bernier began to prove that he was the guy that could take on all of the shots that the Leafs lackluster defense gave up on a consistent basis. Before suffering an injury that forced Reimer back into the net, which resulted in an inevitable end of the regular season meltdown, Bernier solidified himself as a true number one goalie.
Although it looks as though the goaltending situation for the Leafs will be a mirror image of what went down at the beginning of last season, Bernier should end up winning the job once again. As long as the Quebec native doesn’t get injured and is able to play more than just every other game, expect Bernier to stay on top of his game for his club. Reimer may be a friendly and familiar face to have around the locker room, but he isn’t the guy who is going to lead the team to the promised land. Expect Bernier to take matters into his own hands and become the mainstay in Toronto’s goal along with Leaf Nation’s hearts.