Reto Berra

Signed by the Ducks to a one-year deal, Berra will be the third-string goalie behind John Gibson and veteran Ryan Miller. He’s no threat to steal either goalie’s job after spending most of last season in the minors, where he was pedestrian at best, going 12-14-2 with a 2.53 GAA and .910 save mark. The Swiss netminder also appeared in seven games for the Panthers, but it was a forgettable experience, as he went 0-5 record with a horrific 3.45 GAA and .876 save percentage. He'll likely spend most of the season with AHL San Diego.

Berra was acquired from the Avalanche in June after losing the backup job to Calvin Pickard this past season, but the Panthers quickly showed their lack of trust in the 29-year-old, as they inked James Reimer to a five-year deal. If Berra feels like he got the short end of the stick in Colorado, he might be right; after all, he put up a .922 save mark over 14 games last season, a twin to Pickard’s own mark. However, he did struggle at the AHL level, posting only a .901 save percentage. Nonetheless, Berra will open 2016-17 as Reimer’s backup while incumbent starter Roberto Luongo recovers from hip surgery; if the Swiss netminder can’t change the status quo by Luongo’s likely early-November return, he’ll probably end up in the AHL for the second straight season.

As the backup to starting netminder Semyon Varlamov, Berra qualified as a disappointment in 2014-15, even if his 2.65 GAA and .918 save percentage didn't register as such. Instead, it was the Swiss goaltender's practice habits that put him in coach Patrick Roy's doghouse, resulting in him being bypassed by Calvin Pickard on the Avs' organizational depth chart at one point. Though he's already 28 years old, Berra has just 50 NHL games under his belt, so it’s hard to judge what exactly the Avalanche have in him. Berra's one-way contract will likely lock him into the No. 2 role despite last season's developments, but he's probably in line to see one of the lightest workloads of any of the league's backup netminders behind the workhorse Varlamov. And if Berra fails to impress in the few opportunities he does see, the Avs may elect to wash their hands entirely of the situation and waive him, especially if Pickard continues to excel in the AHL and makes a compelling case for a promotion.

Berra signed a three-year contact before even playing a game with Colorado just after the Avalanche acquired the 27-year-old relatively unknown netminder from Calgary in a March 2014 deal. The goal here was to ink a solid backup goalie behind the blossoming Semyon Varlamov, as veteran J.S. Giguere had basically announced his intentions for retirement at that point. The Swiss rookie had fared decently in 29 games with the Flames, posting a .897 save percentage and a 2.95 GAA despite recording a 9-17 record. However, the move to the Mile High City hasn't gone according to plan (at least not yet), as Berra allowed seven goals on just 32 shots in two starts, landing him in the press box come playoff time. Still, Avs' brass Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy must see something in Berra that warrantd the three-year deal they gave him, so he should see plenty of opportunities in 2014-15 to prove he's worthy of giving workhorse Varlamov -- who is coming off a terrific 41-win season that earned him a Vezina nomation -- an occasional rest. If Berra should continue to falter, which is a definite possibility, 21-year-old Finn Sami Aittokallio -- who is 29-27-4 with a .904 save percentage and 2.83 GAA in two seasons with the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters -- would be next in line for crease time.

Berra has remained in Switzerland since the Blues drafted him in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. He's been playing for teams in the A league, but has not showed too much as the primary goalie for Biel the last two seasons. He's a long way from St. Louis.

There's very little room in North America for Berra, who has been stopping pucks in Switzerland since the Blues selected him in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. He's got good size for a goalie and is pretty flexible around the pipes, however, there are just too many goalies ahead of him at this point to project him in St. Louis uniform any time soon.

The 6'4" Swiss netminder will spend another season in Europe playing for HC Davos of the Swiss "A" League.

Berra stood out at the Blues' recent developmental camp, but the goalie situation in St. Louis is simply too crowded to give Berra any shot at making the team this year. Blues President John Davidson, himself a former goalie, likes the kid's potential though.