Does the answer to the Oilers goaltending lie in Toronto?
9 years ago
For the second season in a row, Craig MacTavish finds Edmonton’s goaltending in need of an overhaul. Last year, he looked for answers before the trade deadline, adding Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth in exchange for draft picks rather than waiting for the summer to make a move.
History may be about to repeat itself, and rumour has it that the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs may be the target.
Jonathan Bernier
Jonathan Bernier is in the prime of his career, turning 27 in August. The 2006 11th overall pick is in the final year of a contract with a $2.9 million cap hit and becomes a restricted free agent this season. He has a career 0.917 save percentage over 160 NHL games, meaning that he doesn’t have an overly long track record but what he has done is impressive.
How does he stack up to his teammates?
- Jonathan Bernier: 28-17-6, 1,435 shots, 0.916 save percentage
- Jonathan Quick: 127-80-27, 6,310 shots, 0.915 save percentage
- Jonathan Bernier: 44-38-12, 3,085 shots, 0.919 save percentage
- James Reimer: 19-29-1, 1,816 shots, 0.909 save percentage
The evidence suggests that Bernier is a pretty good goalie, above average and perhaps better than that as a starter. He was able to go toe-to-toe with Jonathan Quick in limited usage behind a team with a formidable defensive reputation; he’s been better than that for a team without much of a defensive reputation.
Bernier fetched a second round pick, Ben Scrivens and Matt Frattin in trade two years ago. He’ll cost more to acquire now that he has more of a track record. After that, Edmonton would need to sign him to an extension, probably something long-term and big money.
Cory Schneider might be a name worth remembering here. New Jersey spent a ninth overall pick to acquire him, and recently signed him to a seven-year, $42 million contract. Both the acquisition cost and the contract dollars are probably a good place to start if we’re talking about the Oilers acquiring Bernier.
James Reimer
James Reimer is also in the prime of his career, turning 27 in two weeks. The 2006 99th overall pick is in the first year of a two-season contract with a $2.3 million cap hit and becomes an unrestricted free agent afterward. He has a career 0.913 save percentage over 165 NHL games, meaning that he too lacks an overly long track record, and that his career number is only middling.
How does he stack up to his teammates?
- Jonathan Bernier: 44-38-12, 3,085 shots, 0.919 save percentage
- James Reimer: 72-61-15, 4,919 shots, 0.913 save percentage
- Ben Scrivens: 11-14-2, 901 shots, 0.910 save percentage
- Jean-Sebastien Giguere: 11-11-4, 777 shots, 0.900 save percentage
- Jonas Gustavsson: 23-30-6, 1,767 shots, 0.898 save percentage
Reimer’s a bigger gamble than Bernier, and has been outperformed by his teammate during their time together. He has been better than Toronto’s other options, including current Edmonton No. 1 Ben Scrivens.
He would doubtless be a much cheaper acquisition than Bernier, and Edmonton wouldn’t have to worry about a new contract for another year. The problem is that he’s also much less likely to solve the Oilers’ goaltending problems than Bernier is.
Both players are rational options for a team in search of a goaltending fix. One will cost a fortune and almost certainly fix the problem; the other will be a lot cheaper but will mean living dangerously once again.
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