Jonathan Bernier - 10th best?

[RaskY]

I'd say that's fair. To me, goalies like Rask, Lundqvist, Quick, Price, and Rinne are the elite goalies of the league who have both a long enough track record and the quality performances to justify their rankings.

After them, I'd consider Bobrovsky and Lehtonen behind them. Bobrovsky won a Vezina and followed that up with another great season - being a big part of Columbus's rise in these last couple of years. Lehtonen meanwhile is a solid goalie, playing behind a team that really doesn't stress defense enough. In the years before they got Seguin, Lehtonen was really the main reason why the Stars weren't a lottery team year after year.

Next is where I'd place guys like Varlamov, Bishop, Schneider, and Bernier. Great goalies with a lot of potential to become better, and could become better than Bobrovsky and Lehtonen, but who have all really had just one season to show for. It's difficult to rank these goalies. You pretty much have to go off of who you think is the most talented. I'd probably rank them Schneider > Varlamov > Bernier > Bishop

After them is where I'd have guys like Miller, Luongo, Howard, Halak, Niemi, Crawford, Fleury, Smith, Hiller etc.

If I had to do a ranking, it'd probably look something like this;

1. Lundqvist
2. Rask
3. Quick
4. Price
5. Rinne
6. Bobrovsky
7. Lehtonen
8. Schneider
9. Varlamov
10. Bernier
11. Bishop
12. Miller
13. Crawford
14. Luongo
15. Niemi

and so on and so on

 

[one77]

I think he's got all the potential to be a top goalie in the league. He's extremely talented in all aspects of the position. He just needs some track record now. But as long as he plays like he has for us, he'll be one of the best no doubt.

 

[TheThrill81*]

If I had to do a ranking, it'd probably look something like this;

1. Lundqvist
2. Rask
3. Quick
4. Price
5. Rinne
6. Bobrovsky
7. Lehtonen
8. Schneider
9. Varlamov
10. Bernier
11. Bishop
12. Miller
13. Crawford
14. Luongo
15. Niemi

and so on and so on

I'd say after last season Bishop and Varlamov are top 10, Lehtonen is not. Crawford is being severely underrated.

 

[FerrisRox]

I'd say after last season Bishop and Varlamov are top 10, Lehtonen is not. Crawford is being severely underrated.

I think Mike Smith is being ridiculously underrated. He's an excellent goaltender playing in an NHL dead zone or he'd get a lot more respect and accolades.

 

[RaskY]

I'd say after last season Bishop and Varlamov are top 10, Lehtonen is not. Crawford is being severely underrated.

I'd still like to see Bishop and Varlamov repeat what they did. Lehtonen hasn't been in the most ideal situations for a goalie throughout basically his whole career, yet he's managed to be a reliable net-minder year after year, and playing around 60 games every year too.

And as for Crawford - I dunno, he impressed me in the playoffs but then again he has his moments where he shows some big weaknesses. You put any of those guys I listed ahead of him on the Blackhawks and I think it'd be an upgrade in goal. (Including Miller, who I think has gotten far too much criticism for his performance in St. Louis. It was a short stint and not a good one by any means, but it's funny before he got traded he was having what many people were saying was a Vezina caliber season. And as someone who's watched the Blues quite a bit over the last couple of years, it really isn't such an ideal situation for a goalie, despite the strong defense. There are things about Hitchcock's system that make it tough at times for a goalie to keep up a high level of play, and to do it consistently.)

 

[Burke the Legend]

I think Mike Smith is being ridiculously underrated. He's an excellent goaltender playing in an NHL dead zone or he'd get a lot more respect and accolades.

Luongo & MIller too, both had pretty good seasons last year (Miller not after trade, but was great the majority in Buffalo facing a lot of rubber).

 

[Kitsy]

Good back and forth between VoicexOfxReason and FerrisRox but FerrisRox is kind of owning the day so far with the quips. Not to mention tl;dr is kind of admitting defeat.

 

[FerrisRox]

Miller, who I think has gotten far too much criticism for his performance in St. Louis. It was a short stint and not a good one by any means, but it's funny before he got traded he was having what many people were saying was a Vezina caliber season. And as someone who's watched the Blues quite a bit over the last couple of years, it really isn't such an ideal situation for a goalie, despite the strong defense. There are things about Hitchcock's system that make it tough at times for a goalie to keep up a high level of play, and to do it consistently.)

I've never been a huge fan of Ryan Miller's, but I have to agree with you regarding the level of flack he has taken for his play as a St. Louis Blue.

Miller lost five of his last six starts in St. Louis, and posted some ugly numbers in that stretch (five of the games he posted a sub .900 save percentage including one start at .692 and another at .818) which, of course, really soured his numbers because of the small sample size.

His first eight starts with the Blues he won seven games and lost one in overtime. His number during that run were godly. The real question is: Is he Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

 

[darrylsittler27]

For a guy who hasn't played 1 full year....

Wow, people are super pumped on this guy. I am not saying they are wrong but 10th best after one season? Must be because LA drafted him.

 

[Kessely Snipes]

I think 10 is about right, if he has another season equal or better to last, could maybe move up a few spots. I think the top 5 are pretty much locked in.

 

[clawfirst]

It's best to not make any predictions for goaltenders on a year to year basis. I don't even consider them part of the team nor human. Every year is a mystery, until it isn't. They are a very important prop or piece of furniture.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

You guys know Wins/GAA are team stats right? Save% is a much better stat for analyzing goalies.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

He definitely doesn't get enough credit!

 

[The Podium]

That list is bizarre. It has the Hurricanes at #5, the Ducks at #28th, the Flyers at #29th, the Blues are in the deep twenties. Somehow the Captials are at #10. It almost looks random.

Khudobin is pretty solid and Ward as a backup makes for a pretty solid duo

Andersen and Gibson is risky which is likely why they are ranked so low

Mason and Emery is an awful duo unless Mason can repeat his somewhat decent season

Blues are going into the season with Jake Allen as their starter, again very risky however they have Elliot as a solid backup

I really don't understand Washington

 

[FerrisRox]

Khudobin is pretty solid and Ward as a backup makes for a pretty solid duo

Andersen and Gibson is risky which is likely why they are ranked so low

Mason and Emery is an awful duo unless Mason can repeat his somewhat decent season

Blues are going into the season with Jake Allen as their starter, again very risky however they have Elliot as a solid backup

I really don't understand Washington

So the Hurricanes are ranked near the top of the league even though Khudobin has had one good season, and a season where he only played 36 games.

However Mason is ranked very low "unless he can repeat his decent season" and that "decent" season saw Mason play 61 games and post a 33-18-7 year. I'm not sure I get why Khudobin get a free pass and a move to the top of the list meanwhile Mason is part of an "awful" duo. Doesn't add up.

 

[Pholus]

So the Hurricanes are ranked near the top of the league even though Khudobin has had one good season, and a season where he only played 36 games.

However Mason is ranked very low "unless he can repeat his decent season" and that "decent" season saw Mason play 61 games and post a 33-18-7 year. I'm not sure I get why Khudobin get a free pass and a move to the top of the list meanwhile Mason is part of an "awful" duo. Doesn't add up.

Probably because Khudobin's 'backup' has won a Stanley Cup as a starting goalie. Emery hasn't as far as I'm aware.

 

[TheLeafsBro]

Bernier is probably a top 10 goaltender. This was literally his first year as a starter and it was an incredible one but obviously as many have mentioned, unproven.

If he can come up with something similar even with a bit of regression I could see him becoming a fringe top 5-6 up with those other elite tenders. Especially if the rest of the Leafs can help him out a lot more this year and we play a more complete game then I believe Bernier will absolutely thrive.

If he does tweak his groin at some point this year he really needs to make sure he's fully healed though. I think that really messed him up last year towards the end. Reimer can hold the fort if need be, that's why we keep him.

 

[rdawg1234]

Very fair ranking.

He played a solid 54(?) games last year and CARRIED this team in many of them. But he is just coming into the league as a starter, so he's going to have to consistently prove himself.

There is nothing that says he isnt a starter though, he did great as a backup in LA, and looked great as a #1 in Toronto(it was only fair to have Reimer and him battle it out, but it really showed that Bernier was better).

He's in that Bishop, Varlamov, Bobvrosky etc. range right now, the 5-10 range. All of those guys in the top 5 used to be there, so we'll see if he moves up to that area or is just more of a Crawford, Niemi, Leightonen etc. type starter, great but never elite.

 

[Faltorvo]

Wow, people are super pumped on this guy. I am not saying they are wrong but 10th best after one season? Must be because LA drafted him.

Naw and I'm as critical as they come when it involves the leafs but

he also passes the "eye test" to go along with last seasons stats.

hard to say if he truly has earned a top 10 slot with such a limited track record.

but it's not an outrageous premise.

 

[Ratboy]

Recency bias. One relatively decent year doesn't launch you into the top 10 category. Probably the 14-18 range

Dammit. We managed to convert you from the Reimer camp over to Bernier's, but I see you've lost the sense we knocked into you.

 

[Bullseye]

I like his interview today "we now have some new defensive players with grit and the team needs to play 5 man defense not just the defensemen playing defense" I like the message I hope he preaches it widely in that dressing. My fear is that many on this team are not listening though.

Team defense is a joke until you start benching or reducing the minutes of the offenders. It always results in the coach getting fired but if I'm the coach that's fine- no way I'm letting the inmates run the asylum.

 

[pooleboy]

hes definitly top 10.

imo after this season he will be top 5. not many goalies have the smoothness he possesses in the net. such a treat to watch

 

[Atomos2]

Dammit. We managed to convert you from the Reimer camp over to Bernier's, but I see you've lost the sense we knocked into you.

Sorry but one year of slightly above average play while your team misses the playoffs does not make one a true number one starter. If anything Reimer is the more secured one, Bernier is the one fighting for a contract.

 

[LeafsNation75]

As of today I also say it's fair to rank Bernier as the 10th best Goalie.

Now the one negative about his play from last season is when he allowed some bad goals from far away. For example there was that dump in against Carolina when the game was tied 2-2. Plus I remember shots from the blue line being let in against New Jersey and St. Louis.

Seeing that happen one time was a fluke and it happens once in a while. However when it happened more then one time I didn't like. So hopefully this season he can avoid that from happening again.

 

[Bullseye]

I like Bernie