Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer celebrates game winning shootout in overtime against the Detroit Red WingsRick Osentoski
The Toronto Maple Leafs won again, and for the seventh time in nine games, but the real story was how they did it.
It was James Reimer.
Playing the second half of a back-to-back down in Detroit, the Leafs were basically a no-show for most of regulation on Wednesday.
They were outshot 40-16 through 60 minutes and by game's end had a possession rating of only 25.9 per cent, making this the third most lopsided game at even strength out of the 420 played in the NHL so far this season.
Thanks to their goalie, however, Toronto won 2-1 in a shootout.
"They stole two points," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said afterward. "If we play like that every night, you're going to win."
They didn't this time.
It hasn't exactly been a fun year for the Leafs starter-turned-backup. Continuing a trend from the back half of last season, this was only Reimer's eighth start in 28 games, and it came after Jonathan Bernier went on a run of starting nine in a row.
Bernier has been solid of late, but Reimer's nearly month long absence from the crease wasn't really warranted. He had one terrible game in Buffalo, but prior to that had been solid, earning key points in tough situations against Chicago and Ottawa at the start of November.
In fact, including Wednesday's win, Reimer is now up to a .919 save percentage in games he has started, right there with Bernier's numbers.
(That omits an ugly relief appearance against Nashville in which both goalies were shelled. Given the way their team played, however, justifiably so.)
It'll be interesting to see where coach Randy Carlyle goes from here with Reimer. The Leafs have an incredibly road-heavy schedule beginning in about 10 days, and nearly a quarter of their remaining games will be the back half of back-to-backs.
The Leafs strategy so far has appeared to be to throw Reimer the game when his team is tired, which explains in part why there have been so many lopsided shot totals when he's been in net.
Against the Wings, Toronto basically had no sustained pressure at all.
The history between goalie and team here is well established. Reimer wanted out at the end of last season, and the Leafs tried to oblige. Working against him was the fact so many goalies were available in free agency – meaning teams didn't have to give up an asset – and unexpectedly, he re-signed on a two-year deal.
Now, with the Leafs cap situation looking mighty tight for next season and Reimer under contract for $2.3-million, that's a contract they could look to move to give them some breathing room.
That said, Reimer's a nice insurance policy to have. He's started for the Leafs before and shown an ability to carry the load, even if not to the level Bernier can.
Since 2012-13 | GP | W | L | T/O | GA | SV per cent | SO |
Jonathan Bernier | 90 | 46 | 28 | 11 | 214 | 0.921 | 3 |
James Reimer | 79 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 202 | 0.916 | 5 |
With injuries and inconsistency at the position, there are beginning to be teams kicking tires on goalies, and the available talent is so thin they're resorting to options like Martin Brodeur (St. Louis) and Ilya Bryzgalov (Anaheim).
The Stars are rumoured to be the next team in need of some help, as the typically dependable Kari Lehtonen has had a tough start and backup Anders Lindback played his way out of the league (again).
Would the Leafs get much for Reimer in that situation, if Dallas was interested? Probably not.
So the question then becomes what's more valuable: the insurance or the cap flexibility.
If the call is to keep Reimer, they might as well play him more than once every three or four weeks. Bernier was worn out and ultimately injured by the end of last season when they attempted to ride him in almost every game, and Reimer was out of sorts when finally handed the net.
Now he's playing for his next starting gig, wherever that may be, and Toronto can use that to their advantage.
The common consensus on Reimer when you survey executives and coaches around the league is that he could help a team immediately, especially one with a No. 1 that needed challenging or support.
The perception working against him, however, is that might be all he is: a good backup or a limited No. 1.
"I don't think he's a starter," one such voice said on Wednesday.
The difference between last summer and this upcoming one is there really aren't many goalies available, which should make Reimer a more easily moved commodity. Edmonton could certainly use someone. Perhaps Minnesota or San Jose, too.
But if the return is going to be as little as it now sounds – a second– or third-round pick – it may well make more sense to simply keep Reimer and allow him to win games like the one against the Wings.
He's already stolen them a half dozen points in the early going and seems to thrive in games like Wednesday's, when the opposition throws everything at the Toronto net and he leaps around in the crease.
Reimer is only worth keeping if they play him, though. Otherwise, they might as well turn the page, free up the cap space and find another option to rot on the bench.
Add this to the decision list for Brendan Shanahan and Co. over the next few months as the trade deadline looms.