Editor's Note: nhlcheapshot is taking the "Who Will The Leafs Sign" in a different direction and makes a compelling case to want Burke to roll the UFA dice on a much maligned forward once again.
Saw this tweet today:
@renhockey Dale Tallon just told me that he won't make an offer to Steve Bernier. He's now UFA.
Now, I didn't know a lot about Steve Bernier beyond that he was included in the Keith Ballard trade along with Michael Grabner and a 1st round pick.
His stats are not mindblowing:
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S% | ATOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 20 | SJS | NHL | 39 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 4 | 35 | 18.7 | 14:08 |
| 2006-07 | 21 | SJS | NHL | 62 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 5 | 29 | 14.4 | 13:35 |
| 2007-08 | 22 | TOT | NHL | 76 | 16 | 16 | 32 | -1 | 64 | 12.2 | 13:20 |
| 2008-09 | 23 | VAN | NHL | 81 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 4 | 27 | 10.9 | 13:50 |
| 2009-10 | 24 | VAN | NHL | 59 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 0 | 21 | 11.6 | 14:10 |
| 2010-11 | 25 | FLA | NHL | 68 | 5 | 10 | 15 | -14 | 21 | 5.2 | 13:02 |
| Career | NHL | 385 | 76 | 83 | 159 | -2 | 197 | 11.9 | 13:38 |
But after a closer look, the situation reminded me of another RFA who was allowed to become UFA....
Now I may be wrong, but looking at those first few years, he had pretty decent production for his age/ice time. Putting up around 15G/year with around 13.5 minutes of ice time, he carved himself a role where he was productive but never had to be the go-to point-producer.
Bernier was drafted 16th overall in the infamous 2003 NHL entry draft, 1 spot before Zach Parise. Since his trade to Florida, his production has fallen off a cliff - 5G, 15 points last year making $2,000,000. Not good. However, he was shooting at 5.2% (Career 11.9%) and had a PDO of 969. Additionally, he wasn't the only one who didn't blossom under Florida's system.
So is Bernier a bust? Or, barring a different set of circumstances, could he have had a breakout year? This is the tale of two players - Clarke MacArthur and Steve Bernier. All MacArthur needed was better linemates, more icetime and increased responsibility to prove he could produce as a Top 6 forward. Bernier may just need to be given the opportunity to do the same.
Let's take a look at some stats comparing the two by Age: Goals/60 minutes of ice time, Points/60 minutes of ice time, Average TOI, and Shooting %:
Now, the situations aren't identical. MacArthur wasn't even available until after his arbitration in August, after many teams had already completed the majority of their offseason shopping. He took a very low salary in what many of us considered a "meh" move for a 3rd liner.
In this situation, Bernier is available while all the teams still have all their money, and an extreme discount might be out of the question - but he's not exactly a premier UFA which would require overpayment either.
So, what say you - is Steve Bernier the type of player the Leafs should "buy low" on?
All stats from Hockey-Reference.com
