Sometimes, the best runs in sports happen because a chosen player gets injured.
The NFL may hold the most obvious examples: Drew Bledsoe making way for Tom Brady and Trent Green getting injured so Kurt Warner could conjure some magic.
It’s way, way, waaaay too early to say that Jonathan Bernier’s injury opened the same door for James Reimer, at least from a long-term standpoint.
That said, the juicier question is: should that be the case?
Don Cherry went out of his way to make an interesting point: management may want Bernier to be “the guy” instead of Reimer.
This often happens with goalies, particularly in the case of a No. 1 who makes more money than his upstart backup. After all, a GM doesn’t want to look dumb in paying more for the lesser option, right?
There’s an interesting wrinkle with Reimer: he’s been the stat-leaning choice for some time, or at least a stat-head darling (as some are still kind to Bernier while also elevating Reimer).
Jonathan Bernier career save percentage .915
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) November 15, 2015
James Reimer career save percentage .914
Who should start tonight?
Let’s be clear, though: Reimer’s recent play sure seems like it might force the issue.
Reimer stopped 43 out of 45 shots to help Toronto beat Vancouver 4-2, giving him three straight wins. The Maple Leafs have generated at least a point in five straight games and a 4-1-2 mark in his last seven starts.
That’s not a huge sample, although Reimer’s shown flashes of brilliance before. Can the Maple Leafs really afford to look the other way?
(Of course, assuming that they want to win ...)