Coach’s Corner: ‘You never get rid of a guy like Reimer’

Ron & Don talk about the Leafs trading James Reimer, Nick Paul playing for the Senators & Joe Thornton playing the best hockey of his career this season with the Sharks.

Don Cherry thinks it was a mistake for the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade goaltender James Reimer.

“You never get rid of a guy like Reimer,” he said on Coach’s Corner Saturday. “You’re going to rue the day.”

Reimer and forward Jeremy Morin went to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for goaltender Alex Stalock, forward Ben Smith, and a conditional fourth-rounder in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Despite the Leafs’ struggles this season, Reimer’s numbers (2.49 GAA, .918 SV%) are his best since 2013 when the Leafs last made the playoffs.

The Leafs, meanwhile, have stockpiled 12 picks for the 2016 NHL Draft, the most in the league.

While many may share Cherry’s sentiment on the goaltender, it may not be the end of the James Reimer era in Toronto.

“I think James Reimer is gone, but he’s not gone-gone necessarily,” said Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston Saturday. “There’s a decent chance the Leafs try to bring this guy back on July 1st when he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent. He had been the longest-tenured player on this team, a good citizen in the community and really loved playing in Toronto.

“I do think we’ll see him in a Leafs jersey again at some point.”

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