Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs losing 12 of their final 15 games of the 2013-14 regular season in what was an absolutely epic meltdown, Jonathan Bernier remains a fond figure in the minds of Leaf nation. The 25-year old native of Laval, Quebec was out due to injury for most of that tough stretch for the Leafs and had to watch a dismal James Reimer seemingly throw in the towel on what seemed like every single night. Bernier proved that he was a legitimate number one goaltender in 2013-14, and if there is any bright spot for the Buds at the back end of the ice, it revolves around BernieWith Randy Carlyle making the terrible decision to rotate starts between Bernier and Reimer right from the get go, Bernier only appeared in 55 games, but managed to finish with a decent 26-19-7 record. Reimer on the other hand went 12-16-1 in 36 appearances. With Reimer recently making everyone aware that he wants out of Toronto, Bernier is now guaranteed to be the Leafs number one goaltender in 2014-15, and rightfully so.

The fact that Bernier no longer finds himself in competition for the top spot in goal and he will finally get the chance to start more than the majority of the games this coming season, we can expect him to improve on his numbers. Bernier persevered through a season where his teammates ranked dead last in shots against per game, giving up a staggering 35.9 on any given evening. The defense in front of him was below average at best, so his over .923 save percentage is more impressive that it initially looks. Given that the Leafs have seemingly improved their overall defense during this offseason, Bernier should face less traffic come October.

With the addition of Stephane Robidas on defense and the amount of pressure on Dion Phaneuf to finally perform as a Maple Leaf, Bernier’s overall defensive unit in front of him should improve. Bernier will show up to do his job way more often than not, however his final numbers at the end of the season will be reminiscent of the help he gets from his teammates that play directly in front of him.