The Toronto Maple Leafs have areas of concern in the front office and on the current NHL roster, and the organization's depth at all positions needs improvement. One critical area that isn't discussed as much as the others is in goal.
In Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer, the Leafs have two proven NHL netminders who have both carried their teams for stretches in their pro careers. Both goaltenders are routinely mentioned in trade rumours, as many consider it a luxury to have essentially two starters in the fold.
Let's consider some of the duo's key statistics in answering the question: Is the Leafs' current goaltending duo good enough?
Save Percentage
Jonathan Bernier posted a .912 save percentage in 2014-15, and James Reimer's was a pedestrian .907. According to SportingCharts, that had Bernier ranked at No. 41 and his partner at No. 52. This points to the duo being not very good at all.
However, Bernier's career save percentage is .916, and in the 2013-14 season, the native of Laval, Quebec, earned a .923 save percentage in winning 26 games.
Reimer's career save percentage is .913, and his career playoff save percentage is an impressive .923. Yes, the playoff number is based on a small sample size, but Reimer was reasonably good in that single series against the Boston Bruins in 2013 despite the series loss.
Goals-Against Average
This is also a team stat in many ways, but still, it's a metric often used to value an individual goalie. Again, in 2014-15, it's not a pretty picture. As per SportingCharts, Bernier ranked at No. 55 in the NHL with a 2.87 goals-against average, while Reimer was much worse in being tied at No. 68 with a 3.16.
Reimer's career number is slightly better than this year's number with a career goals-against average of 2.91. Bernier's career number is significantly lower at 2.63. For comparison's sake, Carey Price's career average is 2.44, while Tuukka Rask's is 2.16.
Wins
Once again, team play is a huge factor here, but wins and losses are often tied to goaltending. Bernier's raw number ranks him much higher here, as he earned 21 wins in 2014-15, which ranked No. 28 in the league.
Reimer had just nine wins in 2014-15. This was his lowest total in any NHL year. He has earned 64 career wins in 174 games. Bernier's career numbers are slightly better with 76 games in 175 games.
Intangibles
In the end, the Leafs were a terrible defensive club in 2014-15. They gave up 33.5 shots per game, and even casual fans could see the shots against were not of the garden variety. Point-blank chances against were the norm, and both goalies were often left to fend for themselves. Only the lowly Buffalo Sabres gave up more shots against this past season.
In addition to this is the basic fact that the club had little to play for after late January. By that time, it was obvious the team was going to miss the playoffs again. These are professionals who are extremely well paid, but several team members seemed to be going through the motions on a regular basis many nights.
It's difficult to read goalies in this regard, but I would argue most indicators were that both Bernier and Reimer were giving honest efforts in the large majority of games. They faced a lot of shots, they didn't seem to point fingers at teammates, and their body language looked positive.
Elite goaltenders will not be available this summer via free agency. The Leafs are also unlikely to make a blockbuster trade for a goaltender given the rebuild mindset that seems firmly established.
The team has much greater needs to address than in goal. A more defense-oriented system and upgrades on the blue line should make a noticeable difference to team defensive statistics and individual goalie statistics. Two-way play from the forwards is also a must. All of this is unlikely to take hold overnight, though.
Ultimately, this goaltending duo is likely the least of the team's worries, at least for the foreseeable future. While neither goalie is dominant, they have not been the Achilles' heel for the Maple Leafs.
All stats can be found on NHL.com unless noted otherwise.
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