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The Toronto Maple Leafs and goalie Jonathan Bernier did not follow the formula of most of the 23 players who went to salary arbitration, as the restricted free agent and the club were unable to come to an agreement prior to Friday morning’s hearing in Toronto.
The two sides met at a hotel in Toronto for nearly five hours without a resolution, putting the decision in the hands of the arbitrator.
Bernier submitted an amount of $5.1 Million after making $3.4 Million in the final season of a two-year, $5.8 Million bridge deal, while the Maple Leafs countered with a salary offer of $2.89 Million, which is the maximum 15% salary reduction allowed under the CBA for a club that chooses to go to arbitration.
Justin Schultz of the Edmonton Oilers was the only other player that was subject to club-elected salary arbitration this season and the defenseman settled with his club on a one-year, $3.9 Million deal(a raise of only $225,000 from his $3.675 Million salary last season), but the Leafs are playing things out to the end with the 26-year-old goaltender, who is one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency.
Most arbitration hearings get adversarial, which is why most teams try to avoid having them and it has a chance of getting more acrimonious when the club elects to go this route, as the Colorado Avalanche did with Ryan O’Reilly did two years ago.
Toronto appears to be more concerned with getting Bernier at the right value after posting subpar numbers in his second season(21-28-7 in 58 games, 2.87 GAA and .912 save %), but there is no history of animosity as their was between O’Reilly and the Avs(who signed an offer sheet with Calgary).
Recent long-term signings of goalies Devan Dubnyk(6 years, $4.33 Million AAV) and Braden Holtby(5 years, $6.1 Million) are likely to be used by Bernier’s representatives as a road map for a contract extension, but the Maple Leafs under Brendan Shanahan and Assistant GM Kyle Dubas have been disciplined in not signing any deals longer than two years this summer.
Nazem Kadri agreed to a one-year, $4.1 Million deal earlier this summer coming of the identical two-year bridge deal that Bernier signed two years ago and the 24-year-old center has just as many question marks, but the difference is that Bernier would be free to test free agency without restriction next July.
Goalie James Reimer will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and if the Leafs and Bernier let the arbitrator make the decision on a contract, both Toronto goalies will be unsigned going into next summer, which represents a highly unstable situation for the franchise with no heir apparent in place.
The club and Bernier have 48 hours to come to an agreement on a new deal before a decision is rendered. The most logical outcome for both sides would be a two-year extension in the neighborhood of $4 Million.
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Ken Daneyko believes that the Maple Leafs hiring of Lou Lamoriello will lead them down the path to success. In his article for the
Player’s Tribune, the former New Jersey defenseman and current MSG analyst says that the former Devils GM has ideas of the right away to play the game and the right type of character is needed to succeed in the NHL and will try to implement that with Brendan Shanahan and Mike Babcock in Toronto.
“These guys are flat-out winners. A lot of people are wondering how their personalities will mesh, but given how successful all three men have been in their lifetimes, it’s difficult to imagine they won’t find a way to make this team successful. They’ll give them a good chance to do some very good things.”Daneyko said. “Make no mistake, Lou is still one of the brightest hockey minds in the business. And he can teach this team how to be professionals on and off the ice. When it comes to showing players how to handle pressure in a major media market, Lou’s resumé speaks for itself.”
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