The Toronto Maple Leafs have their goaltending ducks in a row with the tandem of Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer this season, but it is unclear whether the club has the long term answer between the pipes currently in the organization or will need to address that situation as part of their rebuild in the next few years.
Toronto re-signed Bernier to a two-year, $8.3 Million deal last month and Reimer is signed through the end of next season. At 27-years-old, Bernier is young enough to be the long-term solution in goal, but a subpar second season did not instill much confidence. Reimer is an unrestricted free agent and will have to go to another team if he wishes to pursue his goal of being a starting NHL goalie.
To this point, the Leafs have yet to see strong evidence that minor leaguers Christopher Gibson, Antoine Bibeau or Garret Sparks have what it takes to replace Reimer if/when he is traded or signs elsewhere or to take over for Bernier if he departs in 2017.
Gibson was selected by the LA Kings in the second round of the 2011 Draft, but did not sign after playing two additional seasons in Chicoutimi(QMJHL) with Jonathan Quick, Ben Scrivens and Martin Jones ahead of him on the Kings depth chart.
The Finnish-born netminder signed a three-year entry level deal with Toronto and after splitting time between Orlando and the Marlies in 2013-14, Gibson took over as the top goalie for the Leafs AHL affiliate last season, going 24-17-3 in 45 games.
The 22-year-old made most of the starts down the stretch as the Marlies battled for a playoff spot, but after winning the first two games of the first round series vs. Grand Rapids, Gibson faltered in Games 3 and 4 and did not play in the deciding game.
Bibeau was selected in the 6th round (172nd overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft and signed with the Leafs after being named the Outstanding Goaltender of the 2014 Memorial Cup and selected to the tournament’s All-Star team.
In spite of showing some ability as a rookie for the struggling Marlies (15-10-5, 2.69 GAA), head coach Gord Dineen opted to go with the more experienced Gibson late in the season and into the Calder Cup Playoffs, but turned to the 21-year-old in Game 5 against the Griffins.
Sparks, the Leafs 7th round pick in 2011, spent most of last season with the ECHL Orlando Solar Bears after being the primary backup for Marlies starter Drew MacIntyre two years ago and will need to impress at training camp next month to pull even in the competition.
“I’d say Gibson deserves a head start out of the blocks, but we’ll see what Antoine and Garret have done in the summer,… Leafs assistant general manager Kyle Dubas said to reporter Kyle Cicerella about the organization’s goaltending outlook for the upcoming season. “If any of these guys are going to become NHL goaltenders they’ll have to win competitions like this.…
Dubas said that the trio are all relatively close in terms of talent and experience and that the club will be looking to see for signs of growth, but with the number of changes made in the first 16 months under Brendan Shanahan and the new management team’s penchant for wanting to bringing in their own prospects, it does not rule out the possibility of a new face being put into the mix.
The Leafs were rumored to have interest in signing Boston University free agent goalie Matt O’Connor before the Toronto native signed with the Ottawa Senators in May and have more than a dozen picks in the 2016 Draft next June.
If Gibson, Bibeau or Sparks do not show signs of progress with the new focus on player development, the Leafs will likely draft, dip into free agency or acquire another young prospect to be their goalie of the future.
Listen to Leaf Buzz co-host Norman James and his interview with Leafs Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter:
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