Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello is keen on improving his squad.
The 63-year-old talked with ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun, where he was asked about improving the Leafs’ mediocre goaltending. While Lamoriello responded with a standard, “everything can be upgraded” answer, he mentioned that he’s not going to rush making a move, but that everything, goaltending included, could be better.
“Jonathan [Bernier] played very well at the end of the year,” Lamoriello said when asked about upgrading his goaltending. “But I think we have to look at everything if we can get better, whether it’s goaltending, whether it’s defense, whether it’s forwards. We did end up 30th in the league. There’s nothing that we cannot or should not be looking at, no matter what it is, to get better. Wherever we can get better, we have to do that but not outside the framework of what we’re going to do. It’s an overused word, but the ‘plan.’ We’re not going to rush anything, but whatever can be done will be done.”
It’s no surprise the Leafs want to upgrade between the pipes, as Bernier was mostly awful in 2015-16, posting a 12-21-2 record with a 2.88 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. With James Reimer gone, Bernier and Garret Sparks are currently the team’s two goalies. That’s not good enough for a club looking to improve.
Lamoriello might be stuck with Bernier’s remaining one-year, $4.15 million deal, but that doesn’t mean he should keep the 27-year-old as a starter. The Leafs have 12 picks in the upcoming draft and they could use some of them to acquire a front-line number one, such as Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks.
Bernier isn’t dead weight. He was very bad last season, but he’s still at the very worst a capable backup. The Maple Leafs need to figure out their future between the pipes and the draft is a perfect time to address it. Toronto can’t enter next season with their current goaltending situation unless they want another 30th place finish.
