The expectation of a Calder Cup Championship for the Toronto Marlies officially ended on Sunday with a 3-2 loss to the Hershey Bears in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, but the warning sign of their demise revealed itself throughout the six weeks of the post-season.
The high-powered Marlies offense was held in check by solid defensive clubs in the seven-game series against Albany and the loss to Hershey. When Toronto could not put up offensive numbers, it exposed the goaltending tandem of Antoine Bibeau and Garret Sparks as their Achilles heel.
Toronto played a league-high eight netminders during the regular season, mostly due to call ups to cover for injuries to James Reimer and Sparks and the poor play of Jonathan Bernier.
After Reimer was traded to San Jose, Sparks played out the string with the Leafs, while Bibeau got the majority of the starts in the AHL, but neither really stood out and made a case for being the go-to guy when the post-season began last month.
Instead of going with Sparks, who had a superior goals-against average and save percentage with a smaller sample size, head coach Sheldon Keefe decided to rotate the two goalies against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Both goalies won their starts on the road, but in Game 3 at Ricoh Coliseum, Bibeau allowed four goals on 12 shots and was pulled in favor of Sparks, who watched as Connor Carrick scored a hat trick and Toronto rallied from a 4-1 deficit to close out the series with a 6-4 victory.
Sparks was given the start in the opening game against Albany and without William Nylander, Nikita Soshnikov and team captain Andrew Campbell in the lineup, the Marlies were stymied by Devils goalie Scott Wedgewood in a 2-1 loss.
Keefe went back to Bibeau after that and stayed with him through the rest of the Devils series and all but one of the games against Hershey, but it was not because the 22-year-old was playing great, he was simply the lesser of two evils.
In seven of his 10 starts against the Devils and Bears, Bibeau allowed three or more goals and lost the goalie battle with Wedgewood and Justin Peters. In Game 3 against Albany, the Marlies allowed a short-handed goal late in regulation that led to a Devils overtime win that extended the series from five games to seven.
In Game 3 against Hershey, the turning point was a span of 71 seconds when Zach Sill scored twice to give the Bears a 4-2 lead. Bibeau was pulled and Sparks allowed another four goals in a 8-2 romp.
Goaltending is an area that is bound to be addressed by Maple Leafs management this summer. Bibeau has a year remaining on his entry-level contract and has shown flashes of potential, but has not put things together in two AHL seasons. Sparks started with a flourish in the AHL and earned an NHL look, but was not the same goaltender after suffering a groin injury in December and is a restricted free agent this summer.
The trend under Team President Brendan Shanahan and GM Lou Lamoriello has been to move out many of the players inherited from the Burke-Nonis era. It is possible that Sparks will not receive a qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent, giving Minnesota-Duluth goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo a chance to split time with Bibeau.
Toronto will likely use one or two of their 12 picks at the NHL Draft in Buffalo on goalies, but anyone selected will be three to four years away from making the NHL. The Leafs have to address their goaltending situation via free agency or trade this summer, to either share duties with Bernier or become the Leafs starter.
Based on how things went this year, it is unlikely that Sparks or Bibeau will be in the mix for a spot on the NHL roster next season.
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