TORONTO – This might be the worst stretch of Jonathan Berniers brief and mostly impressive career as a Maple Leaf. Josh Tomlin Jersey . Over his last 10 starts Bernier holds an unflattering .891 save percentage, both he and his teammates sliding in a stretch that looks like it will cost the club yet another playoff berth. Bernier feels like hes just been off by the slightest margin, not quite awful, just not good enough to rescue his team from the failure of 14 defeats in 17 games. You just need that one extra save, he said. I dont feel like my game has been that bad, I just need to make that one extra big save to keep the team in it. Though sputtering recently, Bernier is one of the few solid foundations of a Toronto team that once again finds itself in transition, this time under the direction of Brendan Shanahan. Big, looming and difficult questions face Shanahan and his front office team in the coming offseason, the 26-year-old among them. Bernier is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, due a large and potentially long raise with his second NHL club. To date there have been no contract talks between the team and their No. 1 goaltender, according to Bernier and later confirmed by his agent, Pat Brisson. If they come up to my agent and they want to start talking Im sure well [talk], Bernier told TSN.ca following the teams first practice after the All-Star break. Bernier called it a shock to see former teammate and fellow Cup champion Mike Richards placed on waivers by the L.A. Kings Monday and that in some ways is the delicate balance clubs face when locking up core players for the long-term. Theres plenty of risk involved, one thats perhaps different with starting goaltenders, whose performance tends to fluctuate from year to year. Jonathan Quick, for example, excelled with a .929 save percentage in the 2011-12 regular season, only to tumble to .902 in the lockout-shortened 2013. But the Kings knew they had their guy in goal – based largely on two sensational playoff runs – and felt fine parting with Bernier in a deal with Toronto. Do the Leafs believe theyve got such a piece in Bernier? Up until and even including his recent struggles, Berniers numbers look solid, if not quite near the superb highs of his first season in Toronto and more specifically, his first three months as a Leaf – in which he owned a .930 save percentage. Bernier sits 19th amongst NHL starters with a .914 save percentage this season – tied with Ben Bishop – and 19th with a .922 even-strength save percentage – tied with Marc-Andre Fleury. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, he sits 12th among his peers with a .919 save percentage, just a touch behind Cory Schneider and a touch ahead of Corey Crawford. Signs point to the former first round pick being an above average goaltender, if not quite on the same level of Henrik Lundqvist or Carey Price. Which begs the question with restricted free agency lying ahead: what is Bernier worth to the Leafs? How much and for how long will the Leafs commit to their No. 1, who has made exactly 82 starts as a Leaf? Bernier signed for two years at an annual cap hit of $2.9 million when he landed with the club in the summer of 2013. That number promises to balloon come the summer months. Last year at about this time, Colorado re-signed Semyon Varlamov for five years at an annual cap hit of $5.9 million. Like Bernier, Varlamov was due to be a restricted free agent the following summer and like Bernier, in line for his third NHL contract. He was also a first-round pick whose career numbers lined up comparably to Bernier at similar points of their respective careers. (Varlamov held a .912 save percentage after his first 147 games in the league, a smidge below Bernier, who owns a .917 mark through his first 151 games played.) Have the Leafs seen enough to commit to such term and money (perhaps more in both cases) for Bernier? The question is two-fold, both for Bernier and the team. A long-term deal, say in the neighbourhood of 5-7 years, offers security for Bernier and certainty for the Leafs at a position thats wobbled in Toronto since the days of Ed Belfour. The risk is obvious to the team though. If Berniers performance proves to be only average or just a smidge above it they could get stuck paying an inflated fare for the long haul. Less obvious is the risk to such a deal for the player. Bernier gets security by joining up with the club long-term, but risks not only the cap rising higher in the years that follow, but his performance advancing with age, both of which could mean more money down the line. Signing a short-term deal rather, say one that takes him to age 30, means Bernier could cash in the middle of his prime at a time when the cap could be much higher than the $71 million or so numbers that have been speculated in recent weeks. A backup for most of his NHL career, Schneider opted for the long-term route shortly after he landed in New Jersey. He signed for seven years and $42 million one year after he was plucked from Vancouver. Sergei Bobrovsky, meanwhile, went the shorter-term (but still rich) route. He signed for four years and nearly $30 million earlier this month, a free agent-to-be in his early 30s and in line to cash in again down the line. Complicating matters for the Leafs and perhaps reason for Berniers camp to wait until the summer to start negotiations, is the clubs uncertain cap future. The Leafs project to have limited cap space for the 2015-16 campaign with Nazem Kadri (restricted free agent) and perhaps Cody Franson (unrestricted free agent) still to be signed. That pressure could be alleviated with a summertime trade or two and could conceivably free up more money for Bernier, who turns 27 in August. Bernier certainly takes notice when fellow goaltenders sign – such as Schneider, Bobrovsky – but he tries to keep thoughts of his own deal to a minimum. This is the first time, mind you, that hes held some degree of sway, even leverage in a contract negotiation, since he joined the league in 2007. Its easy to let it creep in a little bit, Bernier says. [But] to me its really one year at a time, one day at a time. I really want to make a big difference for this team and thats really what I focus on. I want to make the playoffs and then well talk in the summer and then well see whats the plan. Danny Salazar Jersey . Pillar is batting .305 with 17 extra-base hits, 19 RBI and five stolen bases in 34 games for Buffalo this season. The right-handed hitter had an International League high, 18-game hitting streak this season and currently owns an IL high 26-game on base streak. Corey Kluber Jersey . None of them are Finlands Pekka Rinne, who stands as Canadas biggest challenge in Thursdays quarter-final round. Even while a young Finnish team has struggled with penalties, turnovers and a lack of offensive depth, Rinne has been a rock with a 1. http://www.indiansteamproshop.com/Indians-Lonnie-Chisenhall-Kids-Jersey/ .com) - Matt Duchene picked up the deciding goal early in the third period and added an assist, as Colorado escaped with a 4-3 victory over Dallas at Pepsi Center.SAN DIEGO -- On the field and off of it, anyone who watched the San Diego Padres outlast the Chicago Cubs on Sunday had a similar reaction. The words might have been slightly different but the bottom line was the same. "That was the strangest game Ive seen in my life," said longtime Padres radio announcer Jerry Coleman. San Diego finally held off the Cubs for a 3-2 win in 15 innings, a game that was scoreless until Chicago scored twice in the 13th inning, only to be matched by the Padres in the bottom half. Coleman, a New York Yankees infielder from 1949-57, has spent many of his 88 years in baseball. Even he was scratching his head after Nick Hundleys game-winning RBI single ended this marathon. The Cubs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the 13th thanks in part to Padres first baseman Jesus Guzman hitting Nick Schierholtzs helmet with a throw after Schierholtz left the batters box on what looked to be a potential bases-loaded, double play. "Ive never seen that one before," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. Schierholtz said he got out of the box in an awkward manner because he tweaked his back on the swing. They he got plunked by Guzman. "Just a nightmare of a play," said Schierholtz, who said his back and head are probably fine. The Padres tied it when Ronny Cedeno made a daring dash to the plate on Kevin Greggs wild pitch after Cedeno had tripled with two outs. "I dont think Ronny saw (the ball) immediately," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Where he is, where the ball is and where the catcher is, its not a great view. You dont know how far the ball is going to come toward our dugout. "He picked it up and made a decision to go. But if there was a good throw and tag, he probably would have been out." Instead, Hundley recorded the third game-winning hit of his career and his first since he belted a home run on May 30, 2010, against Washington. "Any time you go long like that it adds a little more, its a special win," Hundley said. "Losing a game like this takes a little bit more out of you, and winning it builds momentum." Black said the victory was big, even if both teams are struggling. The Padres (59-71) are fourth in the NL West, while the last-place Cubs (55-75) havee dropped 11 of 14. Edwin Encarnacion Jersey. "It was a fantastic win when it looked as dismal as it can look," Black said. Logan Forsythe set up the winning hit with a one-out single against Hector Rondon (2-1). He moved up on a groundout before Alexi Amarista was intentionally walked. Hundley then lined a clean single into centre field, scoring Forsythe easily and giving San Diego its third win in four games. Dale Thayer (2-3) wiggled out of a jam in the top half to get the victory. The game lasted 5 hours, 13 minutes, and the teams used 15 pitchers. But it wasnt even the longest game of the weekend as Arizona beat Philadelphia 12-7 in 18 innings on Saturday night. San Diego looked poised to end the game in the 14th when it put runners on second and third with one out. But Eric Stults, batting for fellow pitcher Brad Boxberger, struck out swinging while facing a five-man infield. Chase Headley looked at a third strike to end the inning. Chicago then wasted an opportunity to go in front. The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the 15th, but Lake grounded into a fielders choice that cut down Starlin Castro at home, and Murphy grounded out. Cubs starter Chris Rusin allowed three hits and walked four in 6 1-3 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.64. The left-hander is 0-2 in his last three starts despite a 2.00 ERA. San Diego right-hander Andrew Cashner pitched seven innings of two-hit ball against his former team. He struck out seven and walked one. "Cash threw the ball well," Black said. "It was a great game for Cash to continue to grow as a pitcher." NOTES: Cubs C Welington Castillo was back in the lineup after missing three games with bruised ribs. ... Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo will remain in the No. 2 spot in the order. Rizzo, according to Sveum, has sparked the offence the last four games. "Weve scored six, four, six and three," Sveum said before Sundays game. "Im not changing anything." ... The Padres will start Tyson Ross on Monday when they open a two-city, six-game road trip in Arizona. ... The Padres arent sure on their starting pitcher for Wednesday. With veteran RHP Edinson Volquez designated for assignment, the Padres are juggling their rotation and considering various options. Wholesale Spain Jerseys Cheap Juventus Jersey Cheap Cristiano Ronaldo Jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Cheap Arsenal Jerseys Cheap A.S. Roma Jerseys Cheap Atletico Madrid Jerseys Cheap Chelsea Jerseys Cheap Barcelona Jerseys Cheap Bayern Munich Jerseys Cheap Borussia Dortmund Jerseys Cheap Inter Milan Jerseys Cheap Juventus Jerseys Cheap Leicester City Jerseys Cheap Liverpool Jerseys Cheap Manchester City Jerseys Cheap Manchester United Jerseys Cheap Paris Saint-Germain Jerseys Cheap Real Madrid Jerseys Cheap Sevilla Jerseys Cheap Tottenham Hotspur Jerseys ' ' '