Prayers were answered when Bernier joined the Leafs, and after a controversial 2013-2014 season for Reimer and Carlyle, it seemed likely we wouldn’t see Reimer in Toronto this year.
It was simple Bernier was a shoe in and Reimer wouldn’t stay in Toronto, but so far nothing has changed. Especially since Carlyle has said there will be a competition for the starting job. It’s a bad rerun of last season.
The fact is Toronto cannot start their season the way they did last year, Carlyle can’t allow Bernier and Reimer to share the net. They need a definite number 1 and number 2 goalie. That being said, it would seem that the consensus is that Bernier has earned the number 1 in spot in Toronto. For now things seem to be smoothed over for Reimer, who even claimed to be “excited to come back… but after a tumultuous season last year Reimer’s days are probably numbered in Toronto. A trade is likely but if the Leafs lose Reimer, where does that leave them?
The Leafs sent Gibson and Heeter to the Marlies after reducing their training camp roster and kept Bibeau and Sparks. Bibeau showed potential against Ottawa, stoning Bobby Ryan twice before eventually allowing a goal from the forward his short side. This goalie looks like he could be something special down the road, but the bottom line is that he’s fresh from juniors and is not ready to fill a backup spot.
So where does this conversation leave us? Well, it's apparent that Jon Bernier is a solid goaltender but the Leafs can’t ultimately survive a season relying only on him.
Bernier is at 100% and looks better than ever going into the 2014-2014 season but he's is untested. He has never actually been a starting goalie and he’s coming off groin surgery. Even if he was able to play a full season without injury, it's likely that the playoffs could be cut short when the regular season starts to catch up to your starter. Fact is, right now the Leafs need Reimer. Not only do they need Reimer, they are better off with Reimer.
With Bernier and Reimer in the number 1 and number 2 positions respectively, the Leafs have arguably one of the best goaltending duos in the league. Considering they gave up the most shots in the league last season, having someone like Reimer as a backup is a huge advantage. So far Reimer played a solid game on Wednesday against Ottawa and neither he nor Bernier have allowed a goal in preseason.
And of course, we can't forget that Reimer isn’t without his faults. This goalie can get very hot but equally as cold, and usually at the most inopportune time. In the past 2 seasons Leafs fans have blamed him for their playoff departures. His style is unstructured and although he can make some big saves, he gives off too many rebounds and has a weak glove hand. There isn't a great deal of trust from fans toward this player, though this may change if he's limited to say 30 games and...well...their defense improves even the least bit.
Tonight the Leafs will take on the Sabres in Buffalo.
Thanks for reading!