The Toronto Maple Leafs and restricted free agent goalie Jonathan Bernier have submitted their salary offers for an arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday in Toronto.

The 26-year-old goaltender submitted an amount of $5.1 Million after a subpar second season in Toronto(21-28-7 in 58 games, 2.87 GAA and .912 save %), while Toronto offered $2.89 Million.

Bernier made $3.4 Million in the final year of a two-year, $5.8 Million bridge deal and the Leafs offer represents a $510,000 pay cut (or 15%) from the goaltender’s 2014-15 salary, which is the maximum allowed under club-elected salary arbitration.

Bernier ask: $5.1M. TOR offer: $2.89M

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 29, 2015

Toronto opted for club-elected arbitration because it prevented Bernier from the option of holding out for a long term extension, but at the expense of not being able to walk away from the arbitrator’s award if it exceeds $3.8 Million.

While the two sides are more than $2 Million apart, an accord could be reached before the hearing with a number somewhere in the middle, but the pay cut submitted by Toronto indicates they are unsure what they have in the former Los Angeles Kings first rounder.



A multi-year deal as a settlement could make sense for both sides, as it would provide Bernier more financial security and a chance to prove himself under new coach Mike Babcock, while the Leafs avoid having both Bernier and James Reimer heading for unrestricted free agency next summer.

If the hearing goes through to a decision or the two sides agree on a one-year deal, the Leafs are likely looking to sign the goalie for as low a cap figure as possible, since it would give them more room under the salary cap and make Bernier a more attractive commodity at or before the trade deadline if they cannot agree on an extension.

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