James Reimer will be just fine.
43 Games
24 Wins
10 Losses
6 OT Losses
4 Shutouts
2.59 Goals Against Average
.920 Save Percentage
These were the career numbers of Maple Leaf goalie James Reimer on Sunday, October 23, 2011. This of course was the day after he suffered a concussion thanks to the knee of that dirty Canadien Brian Gionta. Reimer returned to the lineup six weeks later only to miss two week chunks of the season three times the rest of the way. He never returned to full form until the very end of the campaign. Over his last five games his Save Pct. was .915.
James Reimer is 24 years old, still two months shy of his 25th birthday. In my opinion, he should be given every opportunity to regain his spot as Leaf goalie of the present and future. In a 48 game season, I would give Reimer 30 to 35 starts, if he even approaches his pre-concussion numbers of 2.59 GAA and .920 Save Pct. the Maple Leafs will be just fine.
Now is not the time to bring in a Roberto Luongo. He would only serve to be a roadblock to a hopefully 'returned-to-form' Reimer over the next four or five years. Give Reimer the ball and let him run with it.
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