After displaying a professional amount of patience, Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier has been awarded a two year $2.5 million contract to be an important piece to a franchise that has obviously displayed a commitment to being a cup contending club. Bernier's new deal will pay him $975,000 next season and $1.525 the following year, which indicates that the kings are determined to have thier goaltending be a important piece of the puzzle as opposed to years past. In previous years, Bernier has shown in small stints that he has the tools to get the job done while realistic GM Dean Lombardi has conceded that his roster wasnt strong enough to merit Bernier risking his development for mediocre overall team results; the move has paid dividends. Bernier started 57 games with AHL affiliate Manchester posting a 30-21-6 records while being amongst the AHL's elite. He will back up LA's prized American born starter Jonathan Quick who last season went 39-24-7 to establish himself as one of the NHL's top young netminders. In an era where teams are looking for "1-2 punch" goaltending combos rather than workhorse starters (i.e. Brodeur, Luongo, Vokoun), the Kings could find themselvs with leagues best tandems. Expect Quick to keep a slight edge on the starting role (about 50-60 games) while Bernier will see a lot of time on back to back nights (playing about 20-30 games) providing an incredibly solid starting option should Quick suffer a slump or a debilitating injury. In any case, the Jon's should keep this franchise out of the leagues toilet bowl that it had become familiar with for a while.
-Dustin Lundberg
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