It remains to be seen if the Toronto Maple Leafs can hold on to their wild card position and make the playoffs for the second year in a row. Regardless of if they’re done playing hockey in April or in June, one thing seems to be nearly certain: that game will be James Reimer’s last in a Maple Leafs’ sweater.
Reimer has assumed a backup role behind Jonathan Bernier, but with Bernier injured, Reimer has been the de facto starter. In an assessment which has been derided as throwing the goalie under the bus for a poor team performance, coach Randy Carlyle called Reimer “ok” after the Leafs’ 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night. Reimer was none too pleased with his coach’s assessment, replying that he thought that he played “pretty good.” The situation boiled over when Reimer’s agent, Ray Petkau, fired back on Twitter, saying “As is customary in Toronto, when your team plays poor defensively, you blame your goalie.” Petkau later clarified that the tweet was not directed toward Carlyle, but seriously. Who else was it referencing? Years of frustration?
Oh.
Regardless of the reasons for Toronto’s desire to run Reimer out of town, they may be getting their wish according to Darren Dreger.
Well, Randy Carlyle has really done it now. @DarrenDreger says James Reimer will “respectfully request a trade” this summer.
— David Shoalts (@dshoalts) March 20, 2014
This is the last thing that the Leafs need, considering that their goaltending tandem of Reimer and Bernier has been very good on a team that regularly gives up absurd numbers of shots. It’s almost as though they want to hold on to that 1967 badge of misery a few years longer.
