James Reimer is Forcing Toronto Maple Leafs into a Difficult Decision

James Reimer is continuing his stellar play this season. Unfortunately for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he is getting very little offensive support.

Thursday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes further illustrated Toronto’s lack of scoring. A major concern coming into the season that became an even bigger one when James van Reimsdyk was injured.

The absence of a sniper and a high end creator has forced the Leafs to have to create chances through pressure and cycling the puck. Getting pucks and bodies to the net has been the necessary method for making a mark on the scoreboard this season.

While the Leafs have been fairly successful in creating chances this season, the consistency of finishing those chances has been less than desired. While this does fall at the feet of the players, it is not unexpected. As a whole, the Maple Leafs current roster is not filled with guys who light up the scoreboard.

What they lack in the finishing department, they have made up for by how hard they have worked on most shifts. The offensive struggles are not something that will be put to rest until players with the skill set to create and finish chances arrive in Toronto. Many prospects in the current system appear to have those skills. How quickly and how well those skills translate to the NHL level will determine when the Maple Leafs jump into playoff contention.

While none of this is new for Maple Leaf fans, what is has shown is that James Reimer can be a reliable presence in the net. The sample for this season has been small due to injury, but it has shown some encouraging trends.

Reimer’s rebound control has been much improved this season. He appears to be tracking the puck much better, and while still a battler, he has been more consistent in his positioning.

This was evident in his return from injury. Reimer has historically been a goalie that needed several games to get into a groove. Going several games between starts would see him struggle to regain his mojo. This season he came back from injured reserve and was able to get back on track very quickly.

His 40 saves against Carolina gave Toronto every opportunity to win the game. Unfortunately, Jordan Staal was able to find the net in overtime off of a rebound scramble. Credit is deserved by Carolina’s goalie Eddie Lack as he put forth a great effort as well to blank the Leafs.

In the end, the overtime loss gained another point for the Leafs, but kept them well positioned in the draft lottery sweepstakes. The question games like this are beginning to raise though, (as asked this morning by fellow writer Chris Okrainetz at Tip of the Tower, see article here) is what to do with James Reimer?

There may be an interest in the trade market for a goalie like Reimer. He has an affordable contract and as an unrestricted free agent poses no long term commitment for a team needing depth in the net.

Depending on how long Jake Allen is out for makes the St. Louis Blues a potential suitor for Reimer’s services. Carolina is another team that may make a call as Cam Ward is on the shelf and they find themselves in the middle of the playoff chase.

With Reimer playing the best hockey of his career, it would seem that a rebuilding team could use the assets he could bring back into the fold. It is difficult to determine if that is the best route to take.

James Reimer is well like by most of the fan base, but most importantly he is respected by his teammates. Resigning him to a another deal would give the Toronto Maple Leafs a goalie they are familiar with that instills confidence in the players around him.

There are no guarantees that Reimer will continue to perform as a top 5 goalie in the NHL as he has done so far this season. There are also no guarantees that whoever would be brought in to replace him, whether from inside or outside the organization, could give the Leafs a better chance to win each night.

Next: Toronto Maple Leafs: The State of the Crease Part 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a major decision regarding Reimer over the next few weeks and months. It is a tough choice that has positives and negatives on each side of the coin. The longer he continues to play this well, the more difficult the decision becomes.