BUCK STOPS HERE
Maple Leafs and goaltender Jonathan Bernier at an impasse in contract talks,
The long faces and the no comments told the story as contract talks between No. 1 goalie Jonathan Bernier and the Toronto Maple Leafs broke down Friday.
Bernier and his agent, Pat Brisson, met with Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello and his assistants for almost six hours at a Toronto hotel.
Part of the time was spent in front of an arbitrator, with each side arguing the case of how much they thought Bernier was worth.
The Leafs submitted a lowball number — $2.89 million for one year. It was the lowest number they were allowed per the terms of the collec- tive bargaining agreement and would represent a 15-per-cent cut in pay if they were to win the case. Bernier’s cap hit was $2.9 million, the average of his two-year, $5.8 million contract.
Bernier’s camp responded with a request of $5.1 million. Bernier earned $3.4 million last year when his stats — like the team — tumbled backwards. Bernier’s goals-against average jumped from 2.68 to 2.87, while his save percentage dropped from .923 to .912.
The rest of the time was spent negotiating a longer-term deal than the one year the arbitrator can impose.
Both sides declined to comment as they left the sessions, each indicating they expected the arbitrator’s decision by 2 p.m. Sunday.
Negotiations can continue until then, but once the arbitrator reaches his decision, the contract is binding for both sides. This was a club-elected arbitration, meaning the Maple Leafs cannot walk away from the decision.
Several times during the talks, Bernier, Brisson and others from their camp left the room to talk things over privately.
Bernier will probably end up with a deal close to $4.2 million, the midpoint between what he earned last year and what he’s asking for.
It is believed the sticking point to any long-term contract is the length of the deal. The Leafs are interested in limiting the years. It is the same tack the team has taken with most restricted and unrestricted free agents this summer.
It’s clear the Leafs are minding their dollars, trying to save cap space while allowing themselves a little wiggle room to rebuild the roster.
The longest term the Leafs have given a free agent this summer is two years. Daniel Winnik and Matt Hunwick each got two-year deals as unrestricted free agents. Winnik’s $4.5 million is the most money the new regime has handed out, albeit over two years. Nazem Kadri, a restricted free agent, got $4.1 million on a oneyear deal.