James Reimer: The Toronto Maple Leafs' Latest RFA Signing

Finally!

My first Bleacher Report article. 

It feels like I'm taking the opening faceoff on day one of the regular season—a mixture of nerves and excitement.  However, once the puck drops and I just jump right into things, hopefully I can play my game and not try to do too much out there.

Well, this morning I woke up to news from the Toronto Star that James Reimer had signed a multi-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and I couldn't put it off any longer.  Yes, the story broke at about 10:30 and I woke up shortly thereafter… I was tired…

Details have not yet been disclosed, but the contract is believed to be in the neighborhood of three years and $1.8 million per year.

So what does this mean for the Maple Leafs going forward?  Will James Reimer live up to the hype?  Does Toronto FINALLY have that No. 1 goaltender they've been chasing since Ed Belfour's days in the blue and white?

With only 37 NHL games under his belt, to say that James Reimer is tad inexperienced at this level is an understatement.  But you would never know it by his level of play. 

A half-season in the bigs yielded a 20-10-5 record with a 2.60 GAA and .921 save percentage.  The numbers may not be utterly spectacular, but they served an important function.

The late-season push that the Maple Leafs regularly display did not begin in the final 10 to 15 games this year.  It began when James Reimer stepped into the crease for the first time after Christmas. 

Detractors will tell you that this late-season push is all too familiar in Toronto, and is often pointed towards as undeniable, unequivocal proof of the gullibility of the average Leaf fanatic. 

Let ‘em point.  I'm not so sure this was the case this time around.

Amid the first half-season that was absolutely riddled with disappointment, inconsistency, and finger-pointing, Reimer's play seemed to serve as a catalyst for the renewed sense of confidence that was evident in his teammates' play in the New Year. 

What was it about him that sparked this group of malcontents?

Well, for one, he stopped the puck.  Seems like a relatively simple concept, but also one that Toronto goalies seemed to forget in recent years.  More importantly, he did it at key times in the game when the pressure was reaching critical levels.

Calm, cool, collected—three words that rarely describe rookie NHL goaltenders.

Thankfully, they describe the Manitoba native to a tee.  And certainly not in the same way they described Vesa Toskala’s laissez-faire attitude toward the game.  Ugh... it feels wrong just mentioning the name.  And in the same article as James Reimer no less.

Shake it off.  Move on.

Other factors contributed to the Leafs' success, of course, namely the trading of the likes of Versteeg, Beauchemin, and Kaberle.  Their departures brought with them what seemed to be a positive culture change and ample opportunity for some of the Leafs' youngsters.  In particular, Keith Aulie and Carl Gunnarson were given a great deal of responsibility and responded even better than was expected of them.

What did this all add up to?

The simple answer, in my mind (besides a brand spankin’ new contract for James Reimer), is legitimate hope for the beginning of next season.

I am not yet prepared to say that James Reimer is “the answer” in goal.  Too many times, goaltenders have come out strong in their rookie seasons and then never performed at that level again.  Andrew Raycroft and Steve Mason come to mind as recent examples.

However, Reimer does appear to have all the tools necessary to stave off all the positive and negative hype that come with the territory as a starting goalie in Toronto.  Based on every one of his interviews, I think I would be hard-pressed to find a more humble, thankful, and grounded person than James Reimer.

Forget his raw, physical abilities—his character and personality could well end up being his most important attributes as an NHL goaltender.

SO, if everything else stays the same, are the Leafs a lock for a playoff spot next year?  Not in my mind.  There are still many unknowns.

If everything else stays the same, will the Leafs have a more competitive season in 2011/2012 than they did in 2010/2011?  At this point, no one could convince me otherwise.

And that is all we can ask for as TML fans.