Red Wings sign free-agent goaltender Jonathan Bernier

By @StefanKubus –

In his annual end-of-season press conference this past April, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland made it known he would be shopping around for a veteran goalie to complement Jimmy Howard.

With the free agency season having kicked off on July 1, it didn’t take long for Holland to get his man.

The Wings announced near the start of the free agency signing period that they’ve brought in free-agent netminder Jonathan Bernier with a three-year contract.

Bernier, 29, posted a 19-13-3 record last season with a 2.85 goals-against average and .913 save percentage with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Laval, Quebec native was instrumental in keeping the Avs in the playoff picture throughout the month of January when starter Semyon Varlamov went down with a month-long injury on Jan. 2. Bernier won nine straight games from Dec. 31-Jan. 22, six of which were against teams that also went on to make the playoffs. That also helped lift Colorado to a 10-game win streak, the second-longest such streak in franchise history.

A former 11th overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2006, Bernier has compiled a 128-108-30 record, 2.67 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in his career between Los Angeles, Toronto, Anaheim and Colorado.