The biggest trades of the 2013 summer involved goaltenders switching zip codes. Cory Schneider was relieved of his goaltending controversy in Vancouver so that he could be thrust into another in New Jersey. Toronto’s Ben Scrivens and Matt Frattin were shipped to the Los Angeles Kings for Jonathan Bernier to put more gasoline on the Maple Leaf goaltending /remedy the Maple Leaf goaltending.

The well documented final minute collapse against the Boston Bruins in the 2013 playoffs had as much to do with team play by Toronto as any failure by James Reimer. After an outstanding breakout-quality regular season (19-8-5, 2.41 GAA, .924 save %) the move by Toronto was a little confusing. Rather than throw support behind Reimer who was the clear starter ahead of Scrivens, the Leafs decided to let Reimer know that he wasn’t good enough and brought in a relatively unproven commodity.

Bernier’s numbers (29-20-6, 2.36 GAA, .912 save %) were fairly pedestrian as a whole, but Toronto had convinced itself that his 2013 line (9-3-1, 1.88, .922) was more indicative of the player that they were getting. Note: teams don’t let the next Patrick Roy out of their franchise for a backup goaltender and a third-fourth-line right wing.

So who won the deal? It may or may not be fair to pass judgment at the midpoint of the season, but early indications are that the Kings may have committed some petty larceny in the mid-summer exchange. With relatively comparable games played, Scrivens and Bernier are at a push in the win/loss department, with Scrivens significantly better in every other category. Courtesy NHL.com.

This certainly isn’t to say that the deal is a bad one for the Leafs, but the intent was to push Reimer (which it has, in the wrong direction) while giving Bernier a shot at first team hockey. Neither goaltender in Toronto has been particularly impressive, but with essentially the same defense it front of them, it begs to wonder if Reimer was on the cusp of becoming great.

Frattin has become an extra piece in the deal so far, with the right wing finding himself on the healthy scratch list on occasion. He won’t set the world on fire, but of concern could be his declining ice time since his rookie season in Toronto. For a 25-year old player, that number has to be going up, and should be a wake up call for the Frattin.

The big picture is this: Toronto felt like they needed to do something to get over their shocking playoff exit and made a rash decision. Frattin was obviously an expendable player, but the Reimer-Scrivens relationship had to have been more comfortable than the made-for-awkwardness Bernier-Reimer relationship. Where there had been a clear number one in 2013, Toronto now has two number ones playing like number two.

Verdict: Scrivens was brought into to back up Jonathan Quick. He has shown his worth by filling in admirably in Quick’s absence. Frattin is an afterthought in Los Angeles at the moment. It’s not that Bernier has been that bad, it has more to do with him not being the player that Toronto thought (wished) that he could be. The Leafs could certainly go on to win the Stanley Cup, but it will have more to do with their team defense than who is in goal.