Apparently not convinced that James Reimer is a legitimate No. 1 goaltender, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings yesterday.In return for the 24-year-old backup keeper, the Leafs gave up goaltender Ben Scrivens, forward Matt Frattin and a second-round pick in either the 2014 or 2015 NHL Draft. Bernier’s record last this was 9-3-1 with a 92.2 save percentage and a 1.88 goals-against average.
Dave Nonis, the Leafs general manager, said he made the deal to give the club some depth in hockey’s most important position. and that the trade had been months in the making.
Bernier, who hails from Laval, Quebec and was chosen by Los Angeles in the 2008 draft, said he’s excited to be going to Toronto where he’ll have a shot to become a number one goalie. He was stuck behind Jonathan Quick in the pecking order of Los Angeles and didn’t have much of a chance to play.
Bernier was paid $1.525 million last season, but his contract will expire as becomes a restricted free agent on July 5. However, Nonis said he doesn’t believe he’ll have a problem signing the newcomer to a new deal. Nonis added that the trade doesn’t mean the Leafs have lost confidence in Reimer, but it just gives them two of the best young goalies in the NHL. He admitted that he hasn’t talked with Reimer yet, but the two will speak soon.
With Quick having a long-term contract in place in Los Angeles, Bernier let it be known that he would like to be traded so he can prove that he’s one f the league’s elite goalies. The Kings accommodated his wishes and the deal was made after they were satisfied with the return. With Bernier being shipped out they needed somebody to back up Quick and got it in Scrivens.
Nonis said both Bernier and Quick will have the chance to fight for the number one spot in Toronto and nothing has been set in stone. He added that the two goalies will be pushing each other to be better and it should be an ideal situation next season. Nonis said his team is always looking for ways to improve and more moves could be made in the off season.
Frattin, a 25-year-old winger, has been with the Leafs organization for the past three seasons. He suffered several injuries over that time and managed to play in just 82 games in the NHL, scoring seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 25 games last season. He has also spent some time playing with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL (American Hockey League).
The 26-year-ols Scrivens also split his time between the AHL and AHL over the past couple of seasons. He played 32 games with the Leafs in total with 20 of them coming last season. Scrivens posted a record of 7-9-0 in 2012/13 with a save percentage of 91.5 and a goals-against average of 2.69.
The Leafs also have the option of sending Los Angeles their second-round draft pick in 2014 or 2015 and must let the Kings know their decision during the 2014 draft.
