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Detroit Red Wings rumored to be signing Jonathan Bernier

By Ash Thompson

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 14: Austin Watson #51 of the Nashville Predators takes a shot wide of goalie Jonathan Bernier #45 of the Colorado Avalanche during the second period in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 14, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 14: Austin Watson #51 of the Nashville Predators takes a shot wide of goalie Jonathan Bernier #45 of the Colorado Avalanche during the second period in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 14, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Red Wings are rumored to have come to terms with goalie Jonathan Bernier on a three-year contract. Terms have not yet been leaked.

Jonathan Bernier is rumored to have agreed to a three year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. He has been an interesting figure in the NHL for a few seasons. he was a victim of Toronto’s repeated attempts to tank for better draft picks in 2014 and 2015. His first season in Toronto he started 55 games and put up a .955 save percentage. His last season in Toronto it had dropped to .908. The Leafs defense had been gutted to the point where their top pairing would have been the third pairing of the team Bernier joined.

Bernier spent a year with the Anaheim Ducks. He started 39 games for a playoff-bound club. His save percentage, playing behind a team that has a stout defensive group, came back up to a respectable .915. With the Colorado Avalanche in the 2017-18 season, Bernier played 37 games. He put up a respectable .913 save percentage despite a nagging lower-body injury.

At this point, we know what the 29-year-old Jonathan Bernier is. He is a respectable but not spectacular goalie who can avoid being the reason a team loses but is unlikely to steal many games himself. He is not likely to fix the Red Wings goaltending situation long term, but he can be a transition to get them through the rebuilding process with one fewer gaping holes to fill.

Bernier is not Curtis Joseph, Dominik Hasek, or Mike Vernon. If Wings GM Ken Holland brings Bernier aboard, it is not as his final piece for a cup run. He is unlikely to get top tier goalie money, and that leaves the Wings in a good spot. They do not have an incredible amount of cap space and they have a lot of holes to fill.

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According to Pierrre Lebrun of TSN Barnier is coming. Craig Custance of the Athletic says that Bernier is signing a three-year contract. We will know Sunday at the latest as the NHL’s free agency period opens. Until the contract is signed we know nothing.

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