NHL Free Agents: James Reimer – Rumors, Best Fits

NHL Free Agents James Reimer: Latest Rumors, FA Profile, 5 Best Fits

After an interesting 2015-16 campaign for James Reimer, the former Leafs netminder walks into July 1 as one of the top NHL free agents between the pipes.

He spent the majority of the year with Toronto (where he has played his entire career), before being traded to San Jose at the deadline. Although he was battling injuries throughout the year, James still managed to be among the league leaders in save percentage.

James Reimer, 28, was originally taken 99th overall (4th round) back in 2006. In junior, Reimer played for WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, essentially stepping into Cam Ward‘s shoes (with a year or two of separation). 

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He began his pro career in 2008-09 splitting the season between the ECHL and AHL.

He earned a full-time AHL roster spot with the Toronto Marlies in 2009-10, and split the next season (2010-11) between the AHL and NHL. Having success with the Leafs, Remier earned a full-time NHL gig in 2011-12.

Perceptions tend to range on James Reimer’s tenure in Toronto. From this writers personal perspective, it was an injury-riddled tenure marked by mass amounts of inconsistency. While his rebound control has improved since that devastating game seven collapse to Boston in 2013, it still poses an issue.

Luckily for Reimer, he caught fire in 2015-16, and looked impressive in front of a better Sharks team. He should manage to find a decent contract with a bit of term somewhere on the market. Buyer beware though.

James Reimer is 85-76-23 with a 2.78GAA and .914 save percentage over his seven-year NHL career. He also has 14 shutouts over that span.

Related Story: 5 Potential Offseason Targets for Toronto

James Reimer’s Resume:

– ECHL Kelly Cup Champion (South Carolina) in 2008-09
– NHL Rookie of the Month in 2010-11
– Two World Hockey Championship (Team Canada) appearances (’11 and ’14)

NHL Free Agents: Cam Ward Rumors/Speculation

via Sportsnet,

The idea of Reimer returning to the Maple Leafs in the off-season is not out of the question, despite his high asking price — as reported by Sportsnet’s Damien Cox and disputed by Reimer.

“I’m not set on anything, and I have no expectations. A lot can happen between now and July 1,” Reimer told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. “I’m just focused on getting to that fourth round of the playoffs.” He did.

Related Story: NHL Mock Draft 6.0: 7 Rounds of Prospect Analysis

Potential Contract for James Reimer

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While Toronto remains an option, the Maple Leafs would need to rid themselves of the Jonathan Bernier contract for a Reimer return to make sense.

It’s expected that James will look for a raise this summer, which someone is bound to pay – therefore, it makes little sense for Toronto to commit themselves to a comparable Dallas/Detroit situation.

If you’re James, the longer the term you can find, the better. Given his injury history, teams might be hesitant to hand out more than three years (although longer is possible for the right price).

Projected Term: 2-3 Years
Projected Salary: $3 million to $4.5 million dollars/year

Next: NHL Weekly Roundup: Latest News and Rumors

5 Best Fits

Anaheim Ducks (if Frederik Andersen is traded), Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers