TORONTO – This might be the worst stretch of Jonathan Berniers brief and mostly impressive career as a Maple Leaf. 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. Cheap Marcus Morris Jersey . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. 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They certainly were good for Washington to hit. Garza was knocked out in the first inning of his shortest major league start, and Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos drove in three runs apiece to lead the Nationals over the Brewers 8-3. "Call it what you want, man, just wasnt a good day," Garza said. Garza (6-7) faced eight batters and got just one out, allowing four singles, a double and two walks in the shortest of his 211 regular-season big league starts dating to 2006. His previous low was 1 1-3 innings at the Marlins on June 18, 2010, according to STATS. "He didnt throw the ball that bad," Roenicke said. "Its a shame you make good pitches and they did a good job fouling them off, and they did a good job reaching out and putting balls in play." Garza had been 4-2 with a 2.35 ERA in his previous eight outings, but Saturdays effort caused his season ERA to rise from 3.69 to 4.04. He dropped to 0-3 with a 7.33 ERA in six career starts against the Nationals. He was lifted after 42 pitches. "He had one out. So we were going get up to 50 pitches and none of us are comfortable with him going 50," Roenicke said. Tanner Roark (9-6) gave up one runs and six hits in seven innings with five strikeouts. In his first full season as a starter, he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of 19 outings. "Its a lot weight off my shoulders whenever we get five runs in the first," he said Roark took over the team lead in wins, one ahead of Doug Fister. Against a Milwaukee team that Washington manager Matt Williams said hits both fastballs and curveballs well, Roark relied more on his slider than his curve. "I actually changed my grip on it, so that helped out a lot," Roark said, adding he learned the grip from Jordan Zimmerrmann.dddddddddddd "Ive been able to throw it a lot harder." Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in the eighth for the Brewers, tied with St. Louis atop the NL Central. Denard Span led off the first with a single and, after Anthony Rendon struck out, Werth blooped a double to right. Adam LaRoches walked loaded the bases, and Zimmerman bounced a single up the middle for a 2-0 lead. "I felt fine. Nothing felt off, " Garza said. "Just ... started off the game with a gem-shot single. ... Another bad break, and then Zimm hit a four-hopper up the middle." Bryce Harpers eight-pitch walk reloaded the bases, Ian Desmonds dribbler for an infield single drove in a run and Ramos chased Garza with a two-run single. Ramos is 24 for 61 (.393) with nine RBIs in his last 17 games. "You want to be aggressive and youve got an opportunity for a crooked number there," Williams said. "I think the big at bat there was Wilsons. He got behind, got to two strikes, and got a slider out. Thats a big cushion there." Milwaukee got a run in the second when Jonathan Lucroy doubled, stole third and scored when Ramoss throw skipped into left field for third first of two errors by the catcher. Run-scoring singles by Ramos in the third and Zimmerman in the fourth made it 7-1 against Marco Estrada, who pitched 5 2-3 innings of relief. Zimmerman is 26 for 75 (.347) with 17 RBIs since June 24. LaRoche added a sacrifice fly in the sixth. NOTES: Williams said RHP Jordan Zimmermann, who left his last start in the fourth inning due to a right biceps cramp, threw a good bullpen session Saturday and is to start Tuesday at Colorado. ... Milwaukee RHP Yovani Gallardo (5-5, 3.68) opposes LHP Gio Gonzalez (6-5, 3.56) in Sundays series finale. ... Singer Austin Mahone, on hand to perform a postgame concert, threw the ceremonial first pitch. 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