News Article: COULD LEAFS LET REIMER WALK? TheFourthPeriod.com

[Suntouchable13]

Terrible asset management if you don't at least offer him a qualifying offer. Then either trade his rights, trade him after he signs the qualifying offer or let someone offer sheet him. worse case scenario you have a back up goalie making less than 2mil for for another year.

I doubt he signs the QO.

 

[Drew75]

Leafs didn't have a 2nd round pick last year because of Bolland and don't have 2nd rounders in 2014 and 2015 because of trades for Bernier and Holland.

I would try and add Reimer + Leafs 3rd rounder to recover a 2nd round pick in 2014 or 2015.

Or Reimer and 4th for a 3rd rounder.

A qualifying offer for Reimer would be $1.8 mil matching his current salary and that indeed might be too much for a backup goalie expected to play 20 games at best.

Leafs have 11 players to sign and about $20 mil cap which equals about $1.8 mil per average which would be Reimer's QO.

I'd be curious what we'd have to add to Reims to pry Winnipeg's 2nd rounder - it would be 39th overall, and with the rumours of them buying out Pavlec, they may have interest in taking a one year flyer on their hometown boy.

Would Riems and the rights to Franson for their 2nd + do the trick? Both players are done with us, and Franson has value. I could actually see Reimer rebounding in his hometown. He's a solid goalie, had some confidence issues, but is still young, and thankfully NHL execs don't have the same short sighted views as HF Boards.

 

[JayKing]

I doubt he signs the QO.

If the player rejects a qualifying offer, he remains a restricted free agent.

 

[Suntouchable13]

If the player rejects a qualifying offer, he remains a restricted free agent.

Well, yea, I know that. The Leafs may offer it to him, but he won't sign it forcing the Leafs hand to trade him. I don't think he wants to be back. There is no way he will be in Leafs training camp.

 

[Ari91]

I doubt he signs the QO.

He doesn't need to sign the QO. He just needs to be offered one in order to retain his rights. Most players don't sign their QO because they're looking for a raise in their next contract. Not signing the QO doesn't force the Leafs hand to trade him...it's likely that after this season the plan was never to re-sign him anyway.

What sense would it make to let him walk for free? It costs nothing to qualify him. If Reimer accepts the QO, it's a manageable cap hit that wouldn't be an issue for any team to take on. At worst, negotiations hit a standstill, no team wants to trade for him and Reimer burns off his last RFA year by sitting out the season (and that seems unlikely to happen).

 

[rrc1967]

I doubt he signs the QO.

he doesn't have to, the leafs just have to extend it to retain his rights.

 

[rrc1967]

Well, yea, I know that. The Leafs may offer it to him, but he won't sign it forcing the Leafs hand to trade him. I don't think he wants to be back. There is no way he will be in Leafs training camp.

most players don't sign their QO's and still manage to sign with the club.

 

[rrc1967]

Letting weak goals didn't really help either. Again - it's not excusing the defense or the team for starting poorly, but Reimer isn't lily white innocent here.

I don't see anyone saying he's blameless - but I would love to see you hold the defense to the same accountability you do Reimer though.

 

[rrc1967]

He let in 4 goals against the Habs and leaving one the 2 top goal scorers in the league wide open is on the D .

Laughable performance against the wings ? He let in 3 goals in 31 shots and i believe only one before the 3rd period .The Det goalie let in a softy as well but going by our game threads it seems we think every goal we've scored this season was an unstoppable bullet .

I don't think you have a clue what solid goaltending is . Solid goaltending isn't standing on your head game after game while the team gives up the most shots in the league .

I don't give a damn whether Reims comes back but none of those goalies you mentioned would be an improvement over Reims .

A goalie is a part of the team and he's going to have off nights and slumps just like the players but if i had to grade our goalies performances compared to our skaters it's easy to say they were far more consistent .

How many complete efforts did this team have this year ? When some of us were saying this sporadic effort was going to cost us if our goalies cooled off people like you giggled and shrugged it off and refused to believe how poorly the team was playing . Well the goalies cooled off and the team went over the cliff and yet you still ignore the major problem was the team and not the goaltending .

Bernier comes back and it's easy to see he wasn't 100% . Did the team rally around their num 1 and try to put in a solid effort ? **** no , they played one of there worst games of the season and allowed 48 shots on net .

This.

it's impressive to see how much scapegoating is happening from some posters .. I'll be even more impressed when history repeats itself in a few years time and it's bernier getting this treatment.

I would LOVE to see gardiner criticized for each and every error on the ice, Kadri, Bozak, etc .. even Franson and Clarkson who had downright horrible years aren't vilified as much as we see reimer. however Reimer is the only one that is vilifed for having less than 200 NHL games under his belt, and not flawless especially after his role on the team changed dramatically - which is more than simply a "mental issue" or "attitude" as some would have you think - like goaltending you just skate into the cress and magically stop 140-160km/h shots and anticipate plays as easily as you do as someone sitting on a couch eating Doritos and watching it again in slow motion.

Thus is the way with some fans.

Reimer wasnt the problem - the team simply melted down. Scoring 27 goals in the last 14 games isn't going to win you many games in the NHL when you blow at defense. even if reimer didn't blow a gasket in those three games, the leafs the way they were playing still would have missed the playoffs - amusingly they would also be drafting at a much worse position.

the team set an NHL record for the most shots against this year. yes, it's the goaltending.

Edit: I've never though Reimer was a good #1 for Toronto. however the amount he's getting vilified here is downright pathetic; and I certainly would rather the leafs find a netminder that is more akin to Bernier's play style, because i'm sure that was causing alot of the defensive difficulties this season.

 

[JayKing]

Well, yea, I know that. The Leafs may offer it to him, but he won't sign it forcing the Leafs hand to trade him. I don't think he wants to be back. There is no way he will be in Leafs training camp.

yeah but that's my point. You don't lose him for free, you retain his rights and can trade him for a pick. It's better than letting him walk for nothing.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I don't see anyone saying he's blameless - but I would love to see you hold the defense to the same acceptability you do Reimer though.

Are you kidding me? this is how this usually goes.


<<<Reimer doesn't play well.>>>
"Well it's the defenses fault."

No. It is not the defenses fault that Reimer is bad positionally, has a "mystery" glove hand - you never know if he's going to catch the puck and freeze it or bobble it and drop it, that he's swimming in his net, and usually once a game routinely loses his stick. It's not the defense fault that when the puck hits Reimer he usually looks around widely (or when the puck goes in the net), because he can't track the puck properly.[this season] It's not the defense's fault that Reimer lets out some wild rebounds.

that's not on the defense. That's on Reimer.

I've stated several times - the moment Reimer called out the team, he put himself in a situation where his play should have risen and it didn't. Reimer wanted to be a #1. He had a chance with Bernier out to steal the show - and he played mediocre. Regardless how the defense played in front of him - I personally do not believe that Reimer played well. So am I harder on Reimer? Sure, fine whatever, I'll own that. However - the other player on the team [Bernier] who called out the team constantly during the season - and until he got injured - his play backed it up. When he had a game where he 'should' have had a goal, I commented on that. The day he calls out the team and his OVERALL play diminishes - then i'll be more critical of him.

this was on the radio - when did we get to a point where the Defense can be bad - so the goaltender instantly gets a pass? Why can't it be (when it clearly should be) both? and during the 5 games down the stretch - it was clearly both.

I've roasted Franson since day one - when it was clear that Clarkson's play wasn't simply due to injury (Bursitis etc) I stopped defending him, I've criticised everyone when they had to. I'm not nailing Reimer to a cross and say "THIS IS WHY WE LOST OUR PLAYOFF SPOT" but i'm not going to go "well he's excluded either." the entire team pooped the bed. and I've said that constantly.

 

[gabeliscious]

One year at his qualifying rate to be our backup? Sounds good to me!

If the player rejects a qualifying offer, he remains a restricted free agent.

He doesn't need to sign the QO. He just needs to be offered one in order to retain his rights. Most players don't sign their QO because they're looking for a raise in their next contract. Not signing the QO doesn't force the Leafs hand to trade him...it's likely that after this season the plan was never to re-sign him anyway.

What sense would it make to let him walk for free? It costs nothing to qualify him. If Reimer accepts the QO, it's a manageable cap hit that wouldn't be an issue for any team to take on. At worst, negotiations hit a standstill, no team wants to trade for him and Reimer burns off his last RFA year by sitting out the season (and that seems unlikely to happen).

whats the value of his qo offer?

can he go to arbitration?

i think it is obvious that he doesnt have much value league wide. sure we might be able to get a ~3rd pick for him but the queston is which teams could actually use him? his value would be better imo if he embraced a backup/1b roll. what team would he be an upgrade as a starting goalie on?

by my count the only teams where he would be an upgrade on is calgary and the islanders if they dont sign halak.

 

[Ari91]

This.

it's impressive to see how much scapegoating is happening from some posters .. I'll be even more impressed when history repeats itself in a few years time and it's bernier getting this treatment.

I would LOVE to see gardiner criticized for each and every error on the ice, Kadri, Bozak, etc .. even Franson and Clarkson who had downright horrible years aren't vilified as much as we see reimer. however Reimer is the only one that is vilifed for having less than 200 NHL games under his belt, and not flawless especially after his role on the team changed dramatically - which is more than simply a "mental issue" or "attitude" as some would have you think - like goaltending you just skate into the cress and magically stop 140-160km/h shots and anticipate plays as easily as you do as someone sitting on a couch eating Doritos and watching it again in slow motion.

Thus is the way with some fans.

Reimer wasnt the problem - the team simply melted down. Scoring 27 goals in the last 14 games isn't going to win you many games in the NHL when you blow at defense. even if reimer didn't blow a gasket in those three games, the leafs the way they were playing still would have missed the playoffs - amusingly they would also be drafting at a much worse position.

the team set an NHL record for the most shots against this year. yes, it's the goaltending.

Edit: I've never though Reimer was a good #1 for Toronto. however the amount he's getting vilified here is downright pathetic; and I certainly would rather the leafs find a netminder that is more akin to Bernier's play style, because i'm sure that was causing alot of the defensive difficulties this season.

What kind of goggles are you wearing when you read this forum? All Franson and Clarkson get is criticism (and deservedly so). Don't make stuff up to further your point...all it does is take away from the credibility of your point. Reimer has been harshly criticized by many on here (he certainly deserves criticism though) but to act like he's the only one that gets harsh criticism - well that's a bold faced lie.

Also, what some people fail to realize is that aside from some extreme fans, the criticism against Reimer is treated independent of the defense. Why? Well because a goalie can't control how his defense plays but he can control how he reacts and moves within his crease. If a goalie gives up a goal on a 2 on 1, do you blame it all on the defense even if the goalie failed to properly challenge the shooter? There's a difference between getting beat by a good shot/set up and getting beat by because of bad technique and reading a play poorly. There's also a difference of giving up 3 goals on 13 shots in the first period versus giving up 3 goals in the third period after having faced 45 shots.

 

[Ari91]

whats the value of his qo offer?

can he go to arbitration?

i think it is obvious that he doesnt have much value league wide. sure we might be able to get a ~3rd pick for him but the queston is which teams could actually use him? his value would be better imo if he embraced a backup/1b roll. what team would he be an upgrade as a starting goalie on?

by my count the only teams where he would be an upgrade on is calgary and the islanders if they dont sign halak.

His QO is 1.6M. That's on par with a solid back up. Of course Reimer hasn't proven himself to be that but 1.6 shouldn't pose any issue to a team involved in trade negotiations for him.

I think he's eligible for arbitration. You need to accrue four years of experience (with a minimum of 10 NHL games in a single season counting as one year of experience). Because Reimer signed his first contract at 20, he isn't limited to NHL games but rather 10 professional games so I think his Marlies appearances will count for him.

While his value has likely decreased after this season, he's had prior success that could be considered redeeming. If he comes cheap, a team is more likely to jump in and take the gamble. A team may not be looking to fit him into their starting situation and while he didn't favour being a back up this season, you could also rationalize that it was a situation that was very foreign to him and after this year, he could possibly bounce back now that he has that experience under his belt.

 

[Schennanigans]

Hindsight of course is always 20/20 but he proved to be the worst backup possible. 0-8, 0-9? I forget. Not a single point

I've always been a reimer critic and it boggles my mind that STILL after putting up a record Helen Keller could have matched in net, you question why we thought he needed to be moved????

Yes I question it, because any respectable gm in this league would not of traded their best back up while your in the playoffs or right there in the race.

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

If you can get something for Duby, you can get something for James Reimer.

Silliness.

Two entirely different situations. Dubi was traded during the season, not the off-season when there are plenty of other options available..

 

[Drew75]

This is nuts ... Riems is not the answer for us, but he's still relatively young, and aside from a two poor weeks on the one of the worst defensive teams in the league - a period when the entire team s$it the bed and hung him out to dry - he's still proven to be a capable starter in the NHL.

We won't get a 1st for him or anything crazy - but we'd at least get a 3rd from a team who needs help in net.

Remember - the NHL is not run by HF posters.

 

[Gallagbi]

I would LOVE to see gardiner criticized for each and every error on the ice, Kadri, Bozak, etc .. even Franson and Clarkson who had downright horrible years aren't vilified as much as we see reimer. however Reimer is the only one that is vilifed for having less than 200 NHL games under his belt, and not flawless especially after his role on the team changed dramatically - which is more than simply a "mental issue" or "attitude" as some would have you think - like goaltending you just skate into the cress and magically stop 140-160km/h shots and anticipate plays as easily as you do as someone sitting on a couch eating Doritos and watching it again in slow motion.

Thus is the way with some fans.

Reimer wasnt the problem - the team simply melted down. Scoring 27 goals in the last 14 games isn't going to win you many games in the NHL when you blow at defense. even if reimer didn't blow a gasket in those three games, the leafs the way they were playing still would have missed the playoffs - amusingly they would also be drafting at a much worse position.

the team set an NHL record for the most shots against this year. yes, it's the goaltending.

I take it you didn't visit many gdt since Gardiner and Kadri were over criticized by side posters.

Reimer wasn't the only problem, but his struggles definitely hurt this team..

 

[rrc1967]

Are you kidding me? this is how this usually goes.


<<<Reimer doesn't play well.>>>
"Well it's the defenses fault."

No. It is not the defenses fault that Reimer is bad positionally, has a "mystery" glove hand - you never know if he's going to catch the puck and freeze it or bobble it and drop it, that he's swimming in his net, and usually once a game routinely loses his stick. It's not the defense fault that when the puck hits Reimer he usually looks around widely (or when the puck goes in the net), because he can't track the puck properly.[this season] It's not the defense's fault that Reimer lets out some wild rebounds.

Actually not what i said at all - call them out .. cast out the entire team because the entire team on a nightly basis had far more brain farts that reimer or any goaltender had in the history of the NHL on any given night this past season. Outside of franson (a bit) I don't see the loathing for players that certainly did have have the greatest of seasons as a leaf and mailed it in for a lengthy period of time - because basically everyone outside of perhaps bernier and rielly could be painted with that brush.

puck tracking has a very strong correlation to the amount of shots you get tossed at you in a given period of time, and it's very hard to get that back when you don't play that much. Spacial awareness and anticipating plays the same thing. More experienced goaltenders know how to find that groove but expecting a fairly inexperienced goaltender to do it that has never played as a backup at this level is asking alot.

Most goaltenders get brought in slowly at the NHL level - Reimer was not. he was tossed in and basically shouldered the workload. then that workload was taken away from him, and then people expected the same performance. well duh....

you track a small object the next time you are a passenger in car down the highway, watch it from the passenger side and see how quickly it goes by you past the door - that is slow compared to the shots they face. track one of the KM's sign and keep it in focus until it's right beside you. Again, that's a slow easy shot. when you are in your groove, watching things like that feels like it's slowing down, when you are not, it's damned hard to catch up. that's nothing to do with skill, that's simply not being able to find that spot in which every goaltender needs to be in - which is actually why Allaire's system works - if the defense isn't too stupid to be aware of it.

 

[rrc1967]

I take it you didn't visit many gdt since Gardiner and Kadri were over criticized by side posters.

Reimer wasn't the only problem, but his struggles definitely hurt this team..

sure, and alot of other players struggles hurt the team on any given night as well.

however i have let to see the same amount of loathing and hate continue after the gdt's and maybe a week afterwards.

God .. remember the few games that phaneuf lost his brains?

 

[Gallagbi]

sure, and alot of other players struggles hurt the team on any given night as well.

however i have let to see the same amount of loathing and hate continue after the gdt's and maybe a week afterwards.

God .. remember the few games that phaneuf lost his brains?

Phaneuf is probably the most loathed Leaf, so that's not a great place to start complaining about lack of blame from fans.

 

[Gallagbi]

Gardiner and Kadri also played their way out of extended criticism, Reimer played his way in to it.

 

[rrc1967]

If a goalie gives up a goal on a 2 on 1, do you blame it all on the defense even if the goalie failed to properly challenge the shooter? There's a difference between getting beat by a good shot/set up and getting beat by because of bad technique and reading a play poorly. There's also a difference of giving up 3 goals on 13 shots in the first period versus giving up 3 goals in the third period after having faced 45 shots.

I've seen the best goaltenders in the world give up 3 goals on less shots. are they bad too?

The goaltender has to also trust the defense to make the right play. the goaltender has to also be able to trust that the defense are properly going to cover players in front and sides of the crease. If not, you tend to hesitate, try to cheat just in case the pass gets through,etc .. especially in the case of a 2 on 1, of the shooter faking the pass. With defense and a goaltender that is in sync - the communication and the trust is there, with one that is not, the goaltender will start to apply weight on his skate readying to possibly move with the pass, not trusting his defense. a shot to that same side, and damned hard to stop when you've already shifted your weight.

This is also why i feel that toronto needs to find a goaltender to back up bernier that is like bernier's more hybrid style. I think the leafs defense that wasn't that good to start off with, really struggled with the differing styles of the goaltenders. that's neither right or wrong, but in a game made up of split second decisions from every player on the ice that can lead to alot of problems.

reimer had his share or problems for sure - but the leafs overall had far more mistakes in a game by players not wearing goalie pads.

 

[rrc1967]

Phaneuf is probably the most loathed Leaf, so that's not a great place to start complaining about lack of blame from fans.

oddly .. i have yet to hear phaneuf called out for losing the leafs season ..

 

[rrc1967]

Gardiner and Kadri also played their way out of extended criticism, Reimer played his way in to it.

yet Reimer had an incredible start to the season and helped the leafs at least jump off to a good enough start to keep them into the playoff picture until January until the team got hot again. So let me get this straight. It's okay to play bad in the course of the season, as long as you don't play bad at the end of the year.