After letting a week go by to let the some of the emotion dissipate from the end of the season collapse, it is time to take a look at the players, coach and management of the Toronto Maple Leafs, evaluate how they did and what their status should be with the club next season.
Goaltenders
Jonathan Bernier : The 25-year-old goalie was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in June 2013 as much for his potential as for the organizational lack of confidence that James Reimer was capable of repeating his performance in the lockout shortened season.
In retrospect, the price paid to acquire the former Kings first round pick(Matt Frattin, Ben Scrivens and a 2nd round pick) was inexpensive based on how he performed as a starter with the Leafs. Bernier proved that he could handle the responsibilities of being a primary starter after serving as Jonathan Quick’s backup in LA for three seasons, starting 55 games, with a .923 save percentage and 2.68 GAA.
Those are remarkable numbers when you consider that the Leafs gave up nearly 40 shots every night and allowed teams to control the puck for large swaths of time.
Bernier’s sports hernia injury was part of Toronto’s downfall in the final month of the season, but his mostly stellar play during the season was one of the main reasons why the Leafs were in playoff position in the first place.
For Bernier to become a real asset, Toronto will have to become a more conscientious defensive club.
Grade : A-
Outlook for 2014-15– Leafs starting goaltender, signed to contract extension this summer.
James Reimer: The Optimus Reim of 2013 may have disappeared for good on the TD Garden ice last May. The Leafs did not show a great deal of confidence in the Morweena, MB native during the lockout shortened season, as they tried to trade for Roberto Luongo and an over-the-hill Mikka Kiprusoff at the trade deadline.
The addition of Bernier over the summer signaled that Reimer’s hold on the Leafs starting job was in peril and his play early in the season did not make the eventual move to Bernier a difficult decision.
Reimer’s difficulty controlling rebounds(in contrast to Bernier’s success at corralling pucks) put the Leafs at greater risk with their shoddy defensive play and it was clear from the greater frequency of being pulled midway through games that Reimer did not have the confidence of head coach Randy Carlyle.
Once Bernier became the primary goaltender in late December, Reimer’s play deteriorated. Other than a good performance against Colorado in January and the infamous 31-save relief appearance in Los Angeles on March 13, there was not a game where you could say that he appeared to be confident.
This was well before the “Just OK… comment ridiculously interpreted as Carlyle throwing his goalie under the bus.
Reimer was not the only reason for the March collapse, there were many contributors to that, but his inability to steal a game in the wake of the disastrous eight game losing streak has likely finished his career as a Leaf.
Grade : C-
Outlook for 2014-15 – Trade to club looking to shore up goaltending depth(Prediction - Calgary or Winnipeg)
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