NICE KNOWING YOU
Leafs trade Jonathan Bernier to Anaheim and are now in the market for a backup,
Jonathan Bernier’s time in Toronto is officially over.
The Maple Leafs parted ways with their one-time goaltending saviour, sending him to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional draft pick.
The move is either an entire salary dump or a nudge-nudge, wink-wink completion of the deal with those same Ducks that saw goalie Frederik Andersen become a Maple Leaf only a few weeks ago.
“We all know we made a trade earlier, to get Freddie Andersen,” GM Lou Lamoriello said. “We felt this was the best thing for us to do.
“We will acquire a backup goaltender before training camp.”
By the sounds of it, Bernier — who has a wedding date coming up — had been expecting a trade.
“He’s a pro,” Lamoriello said. “Understands why. He’s been a solid individual. I couldn’t feel more comfortable with him as a person. “Right now, we’ve moved on.” No money changed hands and the Leafs save $4.15 million off the salary cap.
But because the trade happened after July 1, the Leafs paid Bernier’s $2-million bonus for this year. Anaheim gets the full $4.15 million cap hit for 2016-17, but is only responsible for $2.15 million in actual salary. Bernier is an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Leafs have about $5 million in cap space, and a few roster holes.
That’d be enough for a backup goalie as well as an entry level deal for pending unrestricted free agent Jimmy Vesey. His rights are held by the Buffalo Sabres, but he can elect for free agency as a four-year college player on Aug. 15.
The Leafs have also been linked to a possible trade for Colorado’s Tyson Barrie, a restricted free agent, and a deal for unrestricted free agent defenceman Kris Russell.
Some of the space could also be swallowed up by top pick Auston Matthews, whose entry level deal could take up $3.775 million if he convinces the Leafs to let him maximize his bonus potential.
While the Leafs look forward to the future, Bernier heads back to southern California, most likely as a backup to youngster John Gibson, whose performance in Anaheim made Andersen expendable in the first place.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Bernier. His pedigree is solid, an 11th overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2006. He came to the Leafs in a trade in the summer of 2013, anointed the No. 1 goalie after team management soured on James Reimer following the team’s only playoff appearance in a decade.
Bernier never quite won over the Leaf fan base, and at times seemed to be battling himself mentally.
This season, he developed a habit of allowing soft, early goals that lost him the confidence of coach Mike Babcock and earned him a conditioning stint in the minors.
When the Leafs acquired Andersen on June 20 it was clear Bernier’s days were numbered.