James Reimer could finally see trade with improvement

James Reimer must first improve if he still wishes to leave Toronto. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
James Reimer must first improve if he still wishes to leave Toronto. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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James Reimer must first improve if he still wishes to leave Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs placed a somewhat uneven heaping of blame on backup netminder James Reimer last season, and no one was overly shocked when he specifically requested the team send him elsewhere.

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Upon the injury of Jonathan Bernier, Toronto’s number-one netminder, James Reimer was expected to step in and serve as the team’s starter. He’s had his good showings- but one of the final games of the season saw him post a .700 SV%, and that wasn’t necessarily an outlier for the goalie. He only recorded two wins in twelve games with the team in that time period, which caused many to point fingers at James Reimer specifically when the team failed to make the playoffs once again.

The off-season, therefore, saw a very small market for the goaltender charged with ruining the Maple Leafs’ season- unsurprising, as a number of higher-caliber netminders were floating around on the free agent market. As a result, James Reimer has returned to Toronto for another year.

Should the netminder still wish to get out, he’ll have to heed the lesson this past summer taught him. Teams cannot afford to dump salary for unwanted goaltenders, so he’ll most likely have to step it up this season and earn his ticket to freedom.

James Reimer’s career stats are on par with an above-average backup, even now- he posts a career SV% of .914, with only 2.85 GAA. These kinds of numbers could earn him a place with another NHL franchise. His attitude- and the circumstances surrounding the Leafs’ tragic collapse this past spring- serve as a hindrance to him, though. He’ll have to play beyond the level he normally does in order to find a home elsewhere.

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