My Thoughts on Goalie Options

 

 I want to talk about the apparent goalie controversy the analysts at TSN and Sportsnet want to believe is happening. In the second four-day break for the Leafs after beating Calgary 2-0 on Saturday the media began speculating potential trade options if Kyle Dubas were to trade Freddie Andersen now or at the April 12^th deadline. The three goalie options suggested were Darcy Kuemper from Arizona, Jonathan Bernier from Detroit, and Jonathan Quick from LA.

My thoughts on the three options:

 

Darcy Kuemper: Here is a goalie for Arizona who I will admit I have not seen much of his play, but his numbers have been solid. In the two previous seasons Kuemper has had winning records in the 18-19 season Darcy had a record of 27-20-8 with a save percentage of .925 and then last season Kuemper had a record of 16-11-2 for a save percentage of .928. Darcy Kuemper carries a cap hit of 4.5 million dollars a year for the next two seasons so if Toronto were to acquire this goalie, they would free up approximately a million dollars in space but unfortunately, I do not see this goalie an option because he is currently on injured reserve, so I see no reason to bring Kuemper in to replace Andersen despite having a respectable 7-7 record.

 

Jonathan Quick: Quick was mentioned to be linked to the Maple Leafs by David Pagnotta of a website called The Fourth Period. He had reported the rumored trade proposal discussed between Toronto and Los Angeles was to be Freddie Andersen packaged with Defenceman Timothy Liljegren going to LA for Jonathan Quick heading to Toronto with the Kings retaining 50% of Quick’s salary. This would mean that Toronto would only have to pay roughly 2.9 million dollars for the next three seasons but my issue with this potential option is quite simple, Quick is 35 years old and his play has been trending down for quite some time. Sure, he backstopped the Kings to a few Stanley Cups their last coming in 2014 but since then Jonathan Quick has played inconsistent. The last few seasons specifically his save percentage has been 880 and 900. This season in Jonathan Quick has the exact same save percentage as Andersen at 897 with a record of 6-6-2. I know trading for Quick would give Toronto a nice chink of cap room but to me trading for a 35-year-old goalie whose best years are well behind him makes absolutely no sense.

Jonathan Bernier: I am sorry, but the fact Jonathan Bernier is rumoured to be an option is to me laughable Bernier was brought to Toronto before back in the 13-14 season and yes, he had great numbers in his first season as a Maple Leaf winning 26 games carrying a .922 save percentage and a goal’s against average of 2.70. I know management and fans thought Toronto had something after a positive start to his Leafs tenure, but the following season were an entirely different story. Bernier’s second season would see his play start to fall off he would win 21 games in 55 starts with his save percentage dropping to .912. His final season as goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 15-16 the Tank for Matthews season Bernier would appear in 38 games winning only 12 and a save percentage of .908, This season would even seen Jonathan Bernier appear in four games as a Toronto Marlie picking up three wins respectfully. This season for Detroit Jonathan Bernier has a record of 8-6 on a Red Wings team that will be finishing in the bottom end of the standings but is like Kuemper dealing with an injury but more importantly Jonathan Bernier when he was younger and healthier mentally could not handle the pressure that comes with playing in Toronto, I do not understand why people seem to think things would be different this time around.

A few weeks ago, when Kyle held his mid season Zoom Conference call, he said he believed the teams goalie issues would be fixed internally meaning fans were going to be seeing Jack Campbell play in goal while Andersen is recovering from his nagging injury and I think that decision is 100% the right one. Campbell has shown he is fully capable to help Toronto stay in a playoff spot atop the leagues North Division and when Andersen is cleared to play, he will again get an opportunity in goal but if his play continues to slide Campbell will head right back in goal. For now, as I have mentioned many times before fans just need to remain patient and continue to trust Kyle Dubas as our teams General Manager.