James Reimer is an NHL goaltender for at least one more season as he joins the eighth team in his career. Former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk said his friend will bring the energy, and he's stayed ready.
At 37 years old, James Reimer has once again signed an NHL contract and will look to bring his vast experience to an Ottawa Senators team that desperately needs it.
And a fellow goalie said he's excited for Reimer to have an opportunity to play a little more hockey.
"I'm excited for him," former NHL goaltender Devan Dubnyk said on The Hockey News Big Show Monday. "I've trained with him many summers, and he's a good friend of mine. Very impressed. I know he's kept himself in shape, I know he's been working and staying ready."
Reimer's career has extended much longer than most would have predicted when he was drafted in the fourth round (99th overall) in the 2006 NHL draft.
His NHL career didn't begin until the 2010-11 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing in the ECHL and AHL beforehand. But he exceeded expectations for a fourth-round pick and proved his value at the NHL level. In his rookie campaign, Reimer posted a .921 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average in 37 games, finishing 15th in Calder Trophy voting.
The next five years of Reimer's Maple Leafs tenure saw him struggle with consistency, winning and losing the hearts of Maple Leafs fans.
In 2016, the Leafs traded Reimer to the San Jose Sharks, which marked the start of the Morweena, Man., native's bouncing-around portion of his NHL career.
Following that season, Reimer spent three seasons with the Florida Panthers, two with the Carolina Hurricanes, two in his return to San Jose and one with the Detroit Red Wings. Last season, he signed with the Buffalo Sabres, but the Anaheim Ducks claimed him off waivers. He had a two-game stint with Anaheim before the Sabres claimed him back.
Prior to the start of this season, Reimer signed a professional tryout with the Maple Leafs, reliving great memories. The PTO didn't amount to anything with Toronto, but it and an appearance for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup opened the door for a return.
Ottawa pounced on the opportunity.
"He's kind of an energy guy that's going to go in there, and you know he's going to be amped up and excited to play," Dubnyk said.
The Senators are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season. They've lost four straight games in regulation and have posted just a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games.
They've dropped to last place in the Atlantic Division with 45 points, sitting 13 points back of third place in the division and seven points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Senators have struggled in net this season. They currently own the lowest save percentage in the NHL at .868, according to naturalstattrick.com. The next-closest team is the Ducks, at .872.
Linus Ullmark is away from the team for personal reasons at the moment, and the team has asked to respect his privacy. And the Senators have also played Leevi Merilainen, Mads Sogaard and Hunter Shepard. Merilainen has an .866 SP and 3.48 GAA in 17 games, while Shepard and Sogaard have only played parts of one game with save percentages of .833 or lower.
Bringing in Reimer and his experience could not only take some pressure off 23-year-old Merilainen but potentially give good-enough goaltending to be competitive.
Last season with the Sabres, Reimer had a .901 SP and 2.90 GAA in 22 games with eight goals saved above expected, according to moneypuck.com. That's the consistency the Senators need at the very least.
Reimer played one AHL game with the Belleville Senators before signing the contract, posting a .786 SP and a 6.05 GAA. Ottawa plays Vancouver on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
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