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Could James Reimer be an option for the Calgary Flames? |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
There's a lot of speculation James Reimer's days in Florida are coming to an end.
With the Panthers favored to sign former Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, and Roberto Luongo still under contract for three(!) more years, the team might soon have no use for Reimer.
Other teams wouldn't, either, at $3.4 million per. If the Panthers were willing to eat half of his salary, or close to it, and essentially give him away, that's a different story. They should be able to find a suitor for the final two years of his deal under those circumstances.
The Calgary Flames' need for a backup is well documented and they're not exactly swimming in money. That, and a shallow goaltending market, make it easy to envision a marriage between the two.
Reimer isn't the sexiest target but – despite playing behind a much worse defensive team – he posted a better save percentage than Mike Smith in 2018-19, as he has in four of the last five seasons.
Reimer is also six years younger than Smith and, should Florida eat 40-50% of the money, would likely cost less – even if the latter is willing to take a hefty discount to remain in Calgary.
Is Reimer the perfect solution as a 1B behind David Rittich? Maybe not, but the last few years suggest he can provide at least the same caliber of goaltending Smith did and at a lesser cost.
Given the available options, or lack there of, rolling the dice on Reimer for a couple years might not be the worst idea.
We'll see if GM Brad Treliving feels the same way.
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Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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