We had actually vouched for the move earlier during free agency, but the Toronto Maple Leafs finally decided to reunite with former goalie James Reimer. On Friday, the Maple Leafs brought back the 37-year-old veteran on a professional tryout.
As a true fan favourite back in his time with the Leafs, fans will be overjoyed to see “Optimus Reim” back in town. But for Toronto, there are many more reasons why it was important to have Reimer back for a second go-around with the team at this point in time.
Insurance during Woll absence
First of all, one part of the Maple Leafs goalie tandem in Joseph Woll will be away from the team to attend to a personal matter, with the time frame being indefinite as of this moment. In doing so, it would leave only Anthony Stolarz to handle a full starter’s workload, which he has never done for his NHL career, along with deploying the inexperienced Dennis Hildeby as the de-facto backup in place of Woll.
By potentially adding Reimer to the mix, he would provide some much-needed experience, along with stabilizing the Leafs net as a proven NHL backup in recent years. Just last season, the veteran goalie posted a respectable 10-10-2 record with a 3.04 GAA and .896 save percentage despite playing for the struggling Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks.
Veteran depth in the crease
Secondly, part of the Leafs’ success during the past two seasons was keeping a veteran third string goalie in their system in the event their services were needed to help the big league club. That depth was ultimately needed during the 2023-24 NHL season when Martin Jones helped hold down the fort by going 11-8-1 with a 2.87 GAA and .902 save percentage in a whopping 22 games.
It was required as well last season, but to a lesser extent as Matt Murray appeared in two games and went 1-1-0 with a 3.54 GAA and .879 save percentage. Reimer could fill that exact role for the Leafs when Woll ultimately makes it back to the team.
Nostalgia is pretty fun
In addition, there aren’t many players in the NHL that have the opportunity to come full circle and return to their original team that they broke into the league with to have a chance to fight for a Stanley Cup once again before retiring. If Reimer manages to make the Toronto roster at any point in the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season, that dream could then become a reality for the 37-year-old goalie. And what better way to go out than to do something significant with the team you began your career with.
As a result, the Maple Leafs did the right thing in pursuing the reunion with Reimer for more reasons than one. Hopefully this time around, things will not end in utter disappointment but with joyous celebration instead.