Bernier may be worth a gamble, the Flames need 2 goaltenders for next year, and after how Ortio played and has been handled, no guarantee he will be one of the NHL goaltenders, even if he is under team control as an RFA.
Grab Bernier now, give him time behind Ramo, then either sign Ramo if he proves a number 1 run that tandem next year, then Bernier expires in time for Gillies to have a shot.But if Bernier steals the crease, keep him, pass on Ramo, and get a guy in to push him next year (e.g. Raantaa). Bernier is a 1.5 year experiment, and the team needs a guy in there since Gillies will need next year to make up for lost development and the whole goaltending position is unstable.
Leafs probably won't want Hiller on the NHL roster, they will want to go with Reimer and Sparks. The only way they take Hiller is if they want to divest themselves of next year's salary now. This may be appealing, especially if they are posturing for Stamkos.
Raymond gets thrown in, and it makes sense as he is the surplus forward making the most $$, but he does have a NTC - is Toronto on his list?
Trading Raymond and burying Hiller is also a big loss for ownership. Hockey-wise it looks to be a good move, potential reward there, but it is a big one off write-off. Does that make it harder for Treliving to pull off?
If I am Toronto, I ask for Hiller and bury him, as my goal is to clear room for next year. Would/should Calgary do that? They will have to add $$ to the goaltender position anyway, all this does is lock them in with cost certainty and a short term.
I think if a deal happens, it is Hiller for Bernier straight across, but with Treliving being a wizard, a cap dump for next year might still happen. This is one of the few moves that can be made to make a quick change to the goaltending situation
|