Maple Leafs, Jonathan Bernier avoid arbitration ruling, ink two-year deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made plenty of changes this offseason, but are opting to stay the course between the pipes. According to Sportsnet, the club agreed on a two-year, $8.3 million deal with goaltender Jonathan Bernier.
The contract, which was new GM Lou Lamoriello's first major test, comes following an arbitration hearing Friday, where Bernier asked for a one-year deal worth $5.1 million. Just hours before an independent arbitrator was set to rule, Bernier and the Maple Leafs settled on a two-year pact, giving the netminder the 24th-highest cap hit in the league.
Keeping Bernier, 26, in the fold means the team is committed to the goaltending tandem of Bernier and James Reimer, the primary duo they've used since Bernier was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in 2013. Reimer will make $2 million this season in the last year of his deal with the team.
Since arriving in Toronto, Quebec-native Bernier has shown flashes of brilliance but hasn't received consistent levels of support from the guys in front of him. Last season he went 21-28-7, with a 2.87 GAA and a .912 save percentage while the Leafs finished second-to-last in the Eastern Conference.
Rather than becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, the longer deal gives Bernier a chance, by age 29, to get a much bigger payday from the Leafs if he can prove he's worth the investment. With new head coach Mike Babcock calling the plays, Bernier has a chance at much improved defensive help, allowing him to shine and ultimately rebound from the difficult 2014-15 campaign.
Toronto has shown a good deal of self-control financially this offseason, mostly signing players for two years or less at responsible numbers. Bernier expressed at the end of last season that he was hoping for a long-term extension, but the franchise is still getting its feet back under it. They need to see what players can do under the new regime before locking them up for bigger dollars.
Bernier and the Maple Leafs both win here, and each side hopes to have something to show for it two years down the road.
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