Fansided

Re-Drafting the 2006 NHL Draft

By David Rouben

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 24: (L-R) Second overall pick Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, first overall pick Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues, and third overall pick Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks pose for a portrait together backstage during the 2006 NHL Draft held at General Motors Place on June 24, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHL)
VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 24: (L-R) Second overall pick Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, first overall pick Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues, and third overall pick Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks pose for a portrait together backstage during the 2006 NHL Draft held at General Motors Place on June 24, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHL) /
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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 4: Jonathan Bernier
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 4: Jonathan Bernier /

103. . Goalie. Lewiston Maineiacs. Jonathan Bernier. 18. player

Original pick: Chris Stewart

The Colorado Avalanche were no longer the class of the Western Conference following the 2004-05 lockout. In fact, it was the first year that they had ever missed the playoffs.

They were steadily losing key contributors such as Alex Tanguay and Rob Blake, while their goalie tandem of Peter Budaj and Jose Theodore wouldn’t last long beyond the 2006-07 season. In fact, once Theodore left, the Avalanche net saw the likes of Andrew Raycroft, Brian Elliott, and Craig Anderson who was good, but he only lasted two seasons.

There really wasn’t a concrete answer for them at the position until Varlamov came in, which is why Jonathan Bernier would’ve provided a serviceable option for them.

Bernier never received anything more than sporadic game time when he was with the Kings, due to the fact that he was playing behind an elite level goaltender, but in his first season with the Leafs, he demonstrated what he was capable of.

In what was his first year as a starter, Bernier posted a .923 save percentage, which was made all the more impressive given that he faced an average of nearly 30 shots per game. He only played in 55 games since he was splitting starts with James Reimer and got hurt towards the end of the season, but when he did play, he was encouraging.

Of course, all anyone talks about with Bernier is how he fell off in a big way after that season, and some of the goals he let in are laughable. While his years in Toronto are really all we have to judge him by as a starting goaltender, perhaps he would’ve been better if he didn’t spend most of his formative years behind the bench.

Bernier isn’t a great goalie, but he’s one of the better goalies in this class, and he couldn’t have been much worse than some of the netminders that came in and out of Colorado before Varlamov settled in.

Next: 19. Anaheim Ducks

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