Depending upon how you view James Reimer’s time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators probably seemed fitting.
Those who defend him - like, say, his agent - would probably nod their heads wistfully at his stats on the day: 36 saves, one goal allowed and another mark in the “L” column.
As a restricted free agent, the Maple Leafs have a considerable amount of control over the 26-year-old netminder’s future. Even so, Reimer told reporters including TSN’s Jonas Siegel that he couldn’t help but shake the emotional feeling that tonight might represent his final moment in a Maple Leafs uniform.
James Reimer on tonight being perhaps his final game as a Leaf: "There definitely were some thoughts like that."
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 13, 2014
Asked how he would feel if this were how it ended in Toronto, Reimer said: "Really sad."
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 13, 2014
Reimer says he always dreamed of being the Leafs no. 1: "Just thinking that that might not be the case now it brings a lot of emotions."
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 13, 2014
With some new faces in the organization, there might be an extra drive to remove Reimer ... or maybe a chance for the still fairly new netminder to receive a clean slate. If nothing else, Reimer admits that the thought of playing somewhere else crossed his mind on Saturday.
Update: Here is video of the full (emotional) interview: