Former Maple Leafs goaltender claimed off waivers by Anaheim Ducks

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Chris Gerics
October 7, 2024 (7:34 PM)

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The Anaheim Ducks added some goaltending insurance before the regular season as they claimed James Reimer off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

As the clock ticks away on Monday and teams are finalizing their rosters, players are being reassigned or placed on waivers to make room for the main roster squad. More often than not, players aren't claimed by teams and they end up being reassigned anyway or outright released. It seems a former Maple Leafs goaltender has secured his spot this season, just in the nick of time.

It was announced on Monday that the Anaheim Ducks had claimed goaltender James Reimer off of waivers from the Buffalo Sabres, courtesy of PuckPedia on X:

James Reimer's Journeyman Career from Toronto to Anaheim

The Maple Leafs drafted Reimer with the 99th pick in 2006, and he quickly endeared himself to fans by coming out of the gate with 20 wins in his rookie season but slowly lost momentum as the years went on.

After a fantastic 19-8-5 record in 2012-2013, Reimer quickly fell off in Toronto before he was traded to San Jose for goaltender Alex Stalock and some other pieces. He played well in his first stint with San Jose, going 6-2-0 before signing a five-year deal with the Florida Panthers as insurance for Roberto Luongo with potential to take over as the #1 starter.

He had a bit of a career resurgence in Florida, going 53-42-16 in his three seasons with Florida before heading to Carolina in a trade in 2019. He excelled as a backup with a 29-11-4 record for the Hurricanes over two seasons before heading back to San Jose and then ending up in Detroit last season. Reimer has a career 215-177-63 record with a 2.88 GAA and .910 SV% and has found himself as a suitable backup, and will find time if John Gibson or Lukas Dostal struggle or go down with injuries.

It's yet another stop in the long career of James Reimer, and if he can keep playing to his strengths and provide solid backup insurance for teams, he could find himself a new home anywhere and fit right in.