What happens when the seeming entirety of the hockey media is in transit at the same time?
The Toronto Maple Leafs get to break their own trade. As per Leafs PR, Toronto has acquired goaltender Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings:
The #Leafs have acquired Jonathan Bernier from the Kings for Matt Frattin, Ben Scrivens and a 2nd round pick in 2014 or 2015 (Leafs option).
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) June 23, 2013
Frattin will fit in well on LA, a team comprised primarily of guys just like him: speedy, hard-checking, tenacious on the forecheck. And Scrivens is an upgrade on Bernier, not in sense that he's the better goaltender, but in the sense that he doesn't complain nearly as much about being the backup.
Scrivens demonstrated that this year, when James Reimer won the starter's job in Toronto.
Now, unfortunately, it would appear that all Reimer won was a trip to Level 2, where keeping the job is harder. (Basically, it's Tetris. One imagines if he wins the starting job in 2013-14, the Leafs will acquire an upgrade on Bernier and the whole thing will start over again.)
As for Mrs. Reimer, I don't know what sort of face she made when she heard the news, but I can totally guess.
The Leafs have upgraded their goaltending duo, but this move isn't without a question mark. They still have to sign Bernier, a restricted free agent, and he's going to cost more than Scrivens. If he wins the starter's job, that's fine. But if he doesn't, they lose capspace and gain a potential headache.
If he's as good as he's been touted as being, it won't be a problem. If not, the Leafs gave away a serviceable depth forward, a pick and cap space for the right to a slightly more talented backup.
The real losers here, however: the Vancouver Canucks, who just saw their best trading partner for Roberto Luongo go in a different direction. That's no good.
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