Jonathan Bernier and the Maple Leafs had already started their arbitration hearing and submitted their cases. But before the arbiter could hand down the ruling, the two sides came together and came up with a compromise: A two year deal with a $4.15 cap hit in each season.
Bernier was a stellar backup with the L.A. Kings, but with the Leafs his minutes rose to over 3,000 a season and his numbers have normalized. In 2013-14 his numbers were still good: 26-19-7 with a 2.68 GAA and a save percentage of .923 which was just about right were it was in his previous season as the Kings’ backup (.922). Last season wasn’t as kind to him, as his save percentage dropped to .912, which is below his career average of .916, and his GAA rose to 2.87. His workload stayed steady from season to season, facing 1788 shots in 2013-14 and only 1735 in 2014-15. But this was in almost 100 more minutes of action last season, and he gave up 66 more goals. (Also, for comparison, he was 7th in the league in shots faced and saves in 2013-14, only 13th in those numbers last season.)
Part of this, no doubt, can probably be attributed to the team in front of him. And yet the advanced numbers belie that, as the Leafs Corsi Against per 60 minutes actually rose from 66.5 (last in the league) to 60.4 (27th) from 2014 to 2015, and the Corsi For per 60 minutes also rose from 49.9 to 52.3 (25th in the league both seasons. Suffice to say that no matter the improvements to the rest of the team that Lou Lamoriello might make, Bernier himself needs to improve next season for the Leafs to have any chance at the playoffs next season.
