When James Reimer’s convalescence is complete, the cage match for the crease between he and Jonathan Bernier will be set to resume. Both keepers have a lot to prove and precious little time with which to prove it. As coach Mike Babcock insists on a clear distinction between the starter and the backup, one will receive the coach’s conditional endorsement and the other will probably need to enjoy the major part of the rest of the season from the bench.
Reimer soared to dizzying heights throughout the month of November, buoying the sagging Leafs with his composed game, and the team actually ended the month with a respectable .500 record in 14 games. Reimer competed in 11 games, winning six and earning points in nine. For an athlete trying to prove his mettle, his untimely injury was an obvious setback. Jonathan Bernier was gifted with another shot at reclaiming the starter’s role, but couldn’t come through, and found himself demoted to the AHL on a voluntary conditioning stint.
Bernier took the demotion in stride, like a true professional. He smiled and chatted with his new teammates. He was good with the media, and he went to work without hanging his head any lower. Across the first three games, he did what he received full NHL pay to do: stop pucks and give his team a chance to win.
Statistics Aside, Leafs Goaltending Cage Match Goes On
Bernier concluded the assignment by posting a sparkling 1. 25 GAA , .948 SV% and three consecutive shutouts across four games with the Toronto Marlies. Mission accomplished? Not so fast…
Then the Utica cage match happened.
The 20-5-2 Marlies, versus the 12-10-1 Utica Comets match should have been an absolute rout with Bernier recapturing his swagger. Did they underestimate Utica’s will to win after being recently shut out?
Five goals on 26 shots for a .807 save percentage on the final night versus AHL shooters isn’t nearly as flattering as 180+ minutes worth of clean sheets.
The beauty about statistics is that they can be framed and re-framed to alter perception in accordance with varying viewpoints. We could also easily argue that the Leafs deflated de facto starter has a paltry four wins since last April, just one of them versus an NHL opponent.
The stats coin also indicates that Bernier was barely tested in the first three games, and when he finally faced stiffer competition, his confidence level resembled that of his recent struggles in the NHL.
So what can we truly conclude from Bernier’s AHL assignment? Does he get a passing grade? How does his recent performance stack up against his interim successor? Will we see more of new fan favourite Garret Sparks this season?
What all this indicates is that Bernier can compete at a high level when his mindset is correct. When he’s having fun, he sees the puck, and it sticks to him. His feet are quiet, his motions fluid, and rebounds are routinely controlled, deflected and deposited out of harm’s way as opposed to being gift-wrapped for opportunistic opponents.
When his mindset isn’t quite as dialed in, Bernier fights the puck and commits mental gaffes that make winning an uphill climb. As coach Babcock said recently: “You can’t let in four goals and win in this league”.
With the kind of goal support and low shot count Bernier received in his final game, winning against a weaker opponent would be the assumed natural conclusion, however, Utica clearly had other plans for the evening and got to Bernier early, as have so many opponents this season.
I’m neither anti-stats, nor anti-Bernier. Honest. Stats are an indictor of trends and tendencies. But, those trends can be disrupted.
It’s like the old gypsy fortune-teller that advises of what may transpire, should you not change your present trajectory. Stats can be a powerful learning tool for players. By recognizing certain trends over a large enough set of data, struggling players can re-calibrate their approach and better anticipate specific live situations.
If Bernier can re-calibrate his game at the NHL level and start trusting his instincts, he’s probably going to salvage his season and make Reimer both expendable and desirable to a playoff team needing insurance. Right now, he’s getting it coming and going, as he is in the unenviable position of competing for starts with the guy presently in front of him, Reimer, as well as the guy in the rear-view mirror, Sparks.
At this point, the Leafs’ decision-makers need to begin to quell the cage match controversy between their goalies, and give them all a defined focus. Despite his early-season struggles, there is logic in trading Reimer sooner than later, giving Bernier the nod, appointing Sparks as the understudy, and promoting Marlies back-up goalie Antoine Bibeau to the role of starter for the AHL squad.
Reimer is an excellent teammate, and he’s actually done quite enough to earn an extension in Toronto. He’s like the Jordan Staal of goalies, if you will. Staal has often been called the best third-line center in the NHL. Reimer is definitely in the conversation for best back-up in the game at this point in the season, and his work ethic, attitude, and ability to come in cold and compete make him a valuable piece of the playoff puzzle for sure-shot contenders in need of such services.
That said, with great respect, we must recognize Reimer is the past, and Bibeau and Sparks look to be the future, and the future is where this organization needs to focus its intentions.
Bernier should be given the ball to run with, and if he drops it again, Sparks appears to have enough game to hold the fort until Reimer is cleared. If Bernier has any fire left in his belly, he needs to prove it now and not allow himself to be pushed aside by an AHL rookie with just a handful of outings under his belt.
Bernier will get that very opportunity Tuesday night at the ACC versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Sparks holding the clipboard, unless called into the cage match. The good news here is that the Leafs are rested and have had a full week to heal any wounds. The bad news is, Reimer still isn’t healed up enough to back up, and could be out for some time.
Even more good news for Bernier is that despite the media horde calling his next assignment a “make-or-break” game, all eyes will actually be on chronic “pocket-tweeter” Steven Stamkos, who, intentionally or otherwise, stirred the pot when he “liked” a tweet suggesting the Leafs should make a concerted effort to land the franchise centreman. Oh, and then there’s virtual unknown Frankie Corrado’s much-anticipated debut on the Leafs blueline to further shelter the Leafs’ starting goalie from the throng that awaits.
As much as it may make sense in terms of “big picture thinking” to move Reimer early in the new year, neither Lou Lamriello nor Mike Babcock is likely to do anything that even remotely smacks of tanking, or putting young Mr. Sparks in a position of greater responsibility than what is appropriate for the eager apprentice.
The hockey gods have smiled, and Bernier once again has another chance that few get at this level. His fate going forward is completely his to decide.
Main Photo.
