King James Reimer slated to be #1 for Toronto Maple Leafs
Contract reported at three years, $5.4 million
“We are extremely pleased to have come to terms on this new deal with James and his agent Ray Petkau,” said Leafs GM Brian Burke. “He earned the opportunity to play at the NHL level this past season and he made the most of it with his outstanding play. He really grabbed the net and never looked back. We are confident that his talent and strong work habits will be contributing factors to our team’s success next season.”
Reports indicate it is worth US$5.4-million, which would equal a $1.8-million annual cap hit. Reimer, 23, was due to be an restricted free agent on July 1. Toronto now has two goaltenders under contract for the 2011-12 season. Swede Jonas Gustavsson has one year remaining on a contract that will pay him $1.4-million. Veteran J-S Giguere is an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and is unlikely to be retained by the Leafs.
In addition, if Gustavsson is moved, recent Swedish signing Mark Owuya may already be a strong backup to Reimer, as he had the best save percentage in Sweden's elite league this year. At the very least, Owuya will battle Ben Scrivner and Jurki Rynnas for the #2 position on the big club, as Gustavsson is likely to be moved (he needs a new start elsewhere) at the first reasonable offer.
Though starting 2010-2011 in the AHL, Reimer was recalled four times from the Marlies last season and he made his NHL debut in the third period and stopped all four shots December 20 versus Atlanta. He registered his first NHL shutout with 27 saves on February 3 against Carolina. He managed a win in a season-high five consecutive road games from February 8 to March 3. His strong play in March earned him the NHL’s Rookie of the Month Award with a 9-4-1 record, one shutout, a 2.87 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. The goaltender fashioned a record of 11-3-4 when making 30 or more saves in a game this past season.
Internationally, Reimer was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia where he was unbeaten in four games. He compiled a record of 3-0-0 with a 2.04 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
Reimer is a former East Coast Hockey League playoffs MVP after appearing in eight playoff games for the Kelly Cup-winning South Carolina Stingrays in 2009. The 6-2, 220-pound native of Morweena, Manitoba was originally the Leafs’ third choice, 99th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and signed his first contract with the Maple Leafs on March 19, 2008.
Toronto Maple Leafs trade idea
Washington needs toughness and depth, so Brian Burke should consider offering Gustavsson, Komisarek and one of Tyler Bozak and Colton Orr, for Alexander Semin. Now, it's true that Semin has only a one year deal at $6.7 million, however if we can get rid of some salary in the deal, it may make sense for both teams.
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