Confirmed Trade: [TOR/ANA] Bernier to Anaheim for conditional 2017 pick

[Vipers31]

They appointed him multiple times over the years and gave him every advantage over Reimer but neither goaltender won the starter job. Hence both are gone now.

Laughable. He earned every bit of the "advantages" by being a flat our better goalie than Reimer until last year. For some reason no one outside of Leafs Nation seems to understand, he was fighting an uphill battle with the fanbase that had an irrational affection to Reimer. Bernier earned the starting job for two seasons. Then he lost it. Him being gone now doesn't retroactively change anything about that.

No, he did not. Nothing about Bernier's time in Toronto could be described as a easy.

Other than being easily better than Reimer over that stretch, I can even agree with that. It was made absurdly tough for him.

He was not able to provide solid goaltending for a team that needed it.

2013-14 did not exist? That was easily more than solid.

Anyways. Good riddance. Happy to never see him start another game and crush the teams spirit by letting in a terrible goal at a bad time.

Those dreadful teams did a lot worse to him than the other way around. But it's neat Leafs Nation got rid of their prime scapegoat.

 

[Butch 19]

Failed starter.

He had lots of opportunity and blew it.

^^^^ this sums Bernier up.

He's had his shot(s) at #1, now he will forever be the #2, wherever he winds up.

It's called tempering your expectations / life style. Bernier and family are reviewing it right now.

 

[Warden of the North]

What's our over-under that Bernier gains major value over this season?

He wont.

 

[Tonka]

Since it's Bernier maybe California Adventure.

Tickets to Nelson Mandela hockey hall of fame inductee night.

 

[Warden of the North]

Laughable. He earned every bit of the "advantages" by being a flat our better goalie than Reimer until last year. For some reason no one outside of Leafs Nation seems to understand, he was fighting an uphill battle with the fanbase that had an irrational affection to Reimer. Bernier earned the starting job for two seasons. Then he lost it. Him being gone now doesn't retroactively change anything about that.


Other than being easily better than Reimer over that stretch, I can even agree with that. It was made absurdly tough for him.


2013-14 did not exist? That was easily more than solid.


Those dreadful teams did a lot worse to him than the other way around. But it's neat Leafs Nation got rid of their prime scapegoat.

Hes career stats are not all that differnent then Reimer's, despite playing in LA while Reimer spent all of his time up until the deadline here. Reimer was given the harder assignments by a large margin. Reimer got the 2nd game of the back to backs. Reimer got the 3rd game of 3 in 4 nights.

In his best season here, Reimer went toe to toe with him. They were both very good. But then he collapsed the following season. A goalie is not a starter based on playing sub-60 games in a season.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Laughable. He earned every bit of the "advantages" by being a flat our better goalie than Reimer until last year. For some reason no one outside of Leafs Nation seems to understand, he was fighting an uphill battle with the fanbase that had an irrational affection to Reimer. Bernier earned the starting job for two seasons. Then he lost it. Him being gone now doesn't retroactively change anything about that.

I'm not sure if you've ever visited the Leafs board, but during his first 2 years here there were countless Bernier v. Reimer conversation threads, where Bernier was by far the most liked. Most Leafs fans didn't like how Reimer looked in net, too much flopping and too many rebounds.

What you see now is people flopping back to the other side because Bernier wasn't very good in his time here, and Reimer's solid last half season here.

 

[Ciao]

. . . he was fighting an uphill battle with the fanbase that had an irrational affection to Reimer. Bernier earned the starting job for two seasons . . .

He was fighting the puck, not the fans.

The fans have nothing to do with his poor performance, the soft goals he let in, his loss of confidence and demotion to the minors. The fans just watch the games -- the players play them.

 

[Divine]

Bernier will probably have a decent season, problem is, we can't afford to pay him.

 

[Vipers31]

Hes career stats are not all that differnent then Reimer's, despite playing in LA while Reimer spent all of his time up until the deadline here. Reimer was given the harder assignments by a large margin. Reimer got the 2nd game of the back to backs. Reimer got the 3rd game of 3 in 4 nights.

In his best season here, Reimer went toe to toe with him. They were both very good. But then he collapsed the following season. A goalie is not a starter based on playing sub-60 games in a season.

Nobody cares about career stats going back multiple years when determining a starter at a given time. In his years with the Leafs, Bernier was the better goalie by a fair margin up until last year. It wasn't just the stats that were saying that, it's also what anyone with any knowledge of the position could tell. The gap in technical ability was too vast for Reimer to come close to overcoming, until Bernier mentally collapsed last year. A goalie that plays 55+ games for two seasons while being distinctly better than his backup is a starter in that time. It's not really debatable, but that's the lengths some Leafs fans go through to bash Bernier. Not that that's shocking in any way.

I'm not sure if you've ever visited the Leafs board, but during his first 2 years here there were countless Bernier v. Reimer conversation threads, where Bernier was by far the most liked. Most Leafs fans didn't like how Reimer looked in net, too much flopping and too many rebounds.

What you see now is people flopping back to the other side because Bernier wasn't very good in his time here, and Reimer's solid last half season here.

Oh, I have read some of those threads occasionally, because it seemed fascinating to me, and a goalie buddy of mine who's a Leafs fan was constantly annoyed by the Reimer support from vast parts of Leafs Nation. It was mostly a bizarre sight in those threads. I feel reminded of that now, with pointless arguments about career SV% and excuses made for Reimer in any way imagineable. I mean, with Bernier being rather obviously the better goalie, it's not like it was unanimous in Reimer's favour, but I remember perceiving it as being somewhat even, which given the difference in their ability was mindboggling.

 

[Vipers31]

He was fighting the puck, not the fans.

Last year he was, sure.

The fans have nothing to do with his poor performance, the soft goals he let in, his loss of confidence and demotion to the minors. The fans just watch the games -- the players play them.

Fans love hearing how their great atmosphere gave the guys a boost, but fans hate hearing how their boos or bronze cheers two games (or was it periods?) into a season is affecting players negatively. The fans have impact on the mental game, whether you like it or not.

 

[JohnnyO]

Not sure how people can defend Bernier, he lost us more games than he won for us (this past season). I'm sure he'll do fine in Anaheim but it wasn't working out here.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Last year he was, sure.


Fans love hearing how their great atmosphere gave the guys a boost, but fans hate hearing how their boos or bronze cheers two games (or was it periods?) into a season is affecting players negatively. The fans have impact on the mental game, whether you like it or not.

just fyi, the saying is Bronx cheers not bronze cheers

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bronx Cheer

 

[Canucks LB]

Not really.

He played franchise level best in his first season here. But last season, the team played so much better defensively than they had in ages, but he just let in some terrible goals.

In saying that, as I mentioned before, I still think he's a good goalie and will do well for Anaheim.

Lol so much better defensively = last place

 

[Canada4Gold]

Lol so much better defensively = last place

I wasn't aware they ranked the standings by goals against. When did this change occur?

We were last because we had no offense.Guys like Grabner were in our top 6 all year. We let in 262 and 256 goals against in 14/15 and 13/14. Last year we let in 246 despite worse goaltending. So yeah I'd say it's fair to say we were better defensively. Unfortunately our goals for also went way down. That tends to happen when you trade a player like Kessel and don't replace his goals.

 

[Butch 19]

just fyi, the saying is Bronx cheers not bronze cheers

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bronx Cheer

maybe he's trying to start a new thing?

"Yea! 3rd place!!

 

[Vipers31]

just fyi, the saying is Bronx cheers not bronze cheers

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bronx Cheer

Damn, thanks, I appreciate it. I guess I always heard it spoken and attributed it that way.

maybe he's trying to start a new thing?

"Yea! 3rd place!!

It makes some sense, doesn't it? "Oh, great, you made 3rd place, that's great, really, so cool, we're out of our minds with ecstacy."

 

[The Examiner]

Laughable. He earned every bit of the "advantages" by being a flat our better goalie than Reimer until last year. For some reason no one outside of Leafs Nation seems to understand, he was fighting an uphill battle with the fanbase that had an irrational affection to Reimer. Bernier earned the starting job for two seasons. Then he lost it. Him being gone now doesn't retroactively change anything about that.


Other than being easily better than Reimer over that stretch, I can even agree with that. It was made absurdly tough for him.


2013-14 did not exist? That was easily more than solid.


Those dreadful teams did a lot worse to him than the other way around. But it's neat Leafs Nation got rid of their prime scapegoat.

The more you post, the more you prove that you know nothing about the Toronto Maple Leaf goaltending situation, apart from a 20 game stretch where Bernier put up an absolutely incredible .920 SV%. A stretch, I might add, where he was sent down to the AHL in the middle of. (As bad as the Leaf goaltending has been over the years, I can't remember the last time an "established" goalie had to be sent down for reconditioning). He posted a shutout his first game back, only to eventually struggle again and gain the ire of his head coach. His handful of excellent games were over-shadowed by his brutal ones.

In regards to this apparent love affair with James Reimer, I hope you realize he was just as hated as Bernier was. There was no love affair with Reimer and most Leaf fans were glad to see him go. Sure there were people who loved him but there were also people who loved Bernier. I think most fans were happy to see the back of both of them. The Bernier/Reimer debate was constant in our boards all year. I'm not sure why you think there was a love affair with Reimer. The shear amount of awful, back breaking goals, these 2 let in over the years, would have any fan base seething. It gets tiring when uninformed fans make up love affairs with Reimer, to fit their own narrative.

You keep obsessing over this incredible 20 game, .920 sample size and the one season (three years ago) he was decent and disregard the rest of the games he played in, games that make up over 50 percent of his starts in Toronto. Sounds like a narrative to me. I'm sorry but .908 and .912, his last 2 years, is not going to cut it. Especially when you witness the impact his mental breakdowns had on the team, on a game to game basis. I know that so many people love to stat watch and can't put their head around context but you can't just cherry pick some stats and not actually watch the games.

Bernier had some really good games with Toronto but unfortunately, he also had more shockingly bad ones. His inconsistency and mental weakness did him in and .920 over 20 games (and I repeat, 20 games where he had to be sent down for poor play in the middle of) does not over shadow that.

 

[snarktacular]

Since it's Bernier maybe California Adventure.

Underrated So Cal joke.

 

[Vipers31]

In regards to this apparent love affair with James Reimer, I hope you realize he was just as hated as Bernier was. There was no love affair with Reimer and most Leaf fans were glad to see him go.

That's not even true. Maybe there was a majority on HF by the end, but Reimer was definitely sort-of loved by Leafs Nation as a whole. HF isn't a reflective of all of it.

Sure there were people who loved him but there were also people who loved Bernier. I think most fans were happy to see the back of both of them.

I don't doubt that.

You keep obsessing over this incredible 20 game, .920 sample size and the one season (three years ago) he was decent and disregard the rest of the games he played in, games that make up over 50 percent of his starts in Toronto. Sounds like a narrative to me. I'm sorry but .908 and .912, his last 2 years, is not going to cut it.

I don't obsess over anything, and I don't disregard anything. I always acknowledged his complete mental breakdown. Instances of that aren't rare. We've seen the exact same thing happen to Dubnyk in Edmonton, and with Mason in Columbus. They all had the same struggles, and lack of confidence and mental problems tend to show the same symptoms. Like those two were actually horrible at those times, Bernier was horrible in the first half of last year. But going by experience, such stretches aren't adequate reflections of a goalie's ability, just like they weren't with Dubnyk or Mason. Those stretches are terrible when they happen, but they aren't too meaningful in projections going forward.

The reason I bring up his strong 13-14 season so much is in response to statements about all the things Bernier suddenly "has never been".

Especially when you witness the impact his mental breakdowns had on the team, on a game to game basis. I know that so many people love to stat watch and can't put their head around context but you can't just cherry pick some stats and not actually watch the games.

I watch more than enough, and I'll take my judgement given my knowledge from playing the position for a long time over some disheartened fans' any day. So you had a mentally weak team that wasn't able to pick itself up over a bad goal - that's more of an indictment of the team than anything else. The biggest problem with Freddie Andersen, interestingly, is his mental lapses and occasional brutally soft goals, as well. They sure weren't as frequent as with Bernier last season, but that has been a common theme any Ducks fan will tell you about (minus a guy from Denmark, maybe). Using it as an excuse for your players is just poor.

Bernier had some really good games with Toronto but unfortunately, he also had more shockingly bad ones. His inconsistency and mental weakness did him in and .920 over 20 games (and I repeat, 20 games where he had to be sent down for poor play in the middle of) does not over shadow that.

You have your mind made up about what is shadowing over what. His overall body of work with the Leafs isn't remotely as bad as most Leafs fans paint it. It isn't just the 20 games, those are just an indication of him having bounced back to a fair degree after that disaster of a first half.

 

[A1LeafNation]

wish Bernier the best...his time was up here. 3 seasons was long enough to prove he could be a starter and he didn't do it.

 

[mcleex]

Great trade. This should give us enough cap space to sign Nelson Mandela

 

[crowi]

Great trade. This should give us enough cap space to sign Nelson Mandela

He was a good player.

 

[Pi]

Last year he was, sure.


Fans love hearing how their great atmosphere gave the guys a boost, but fans hate hearing how their boos or bronze cheers two games (or was it periods?) into a season is affecting players negatively. The fans have impact on the mental game, whether you like it or not.

Price was booed in a preseason game after Halak was traded. He said chill out and carried on to have one of the best seasons for him.

If Bernier is that weak mentally that a couple of boos dictate his play, good riddance.

 

[Kelly]

Price was booed in a preseason game after Halak was traded. He said chill out and carried on to have one of the best seasons for him.

If Bernier is that weak mentally that a couple of boos dictate his play, good riddance.

Exactly. These guys are professionals and paid millions, if they can't hand a little bit of negativity then they shouldn't be in the business.

Fact is, Berner was handed the Leafs starting position on a silver platter and he fumbled the opportunity countless times. He could turn out to be a good goalie for the Ducks, but it was never happening here.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Kinda hate that Ducks acquired him cause I love Gibson but have a feeling Bernier is gonna stand on his head next season and be undisputed #1