James Reimer figured he was going to be a part of the turnaround with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The impending unrestricted free agent goaltender had spent his entire NHL career in Toronto so he was a bit blindsided when he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks prior to the trade deadline last month.
“I don’t think I want to get into all the details, but I had the feeling I would stick around in Toronto,” the former Leafs goaltender told Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com. “I didn’t get the feeling at all that I’d be going somewhere. So I was a little surprised when it happened. But at the same time, I wasn’t shocked. You know the situation Toronto is in. I guess they felt they were building for the future and get some pieces.”
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Reimer, 28, has fit in quite well since his trade to San Jose, winning three of his four starts while registering a stellar .952 save percentage with a 1.27 goals-against average.
“It’s a lot different, obviously,” Reimer said. “You have to take into perspective the two organizations are in two totally different places. With Toronto, I felt that from past years to this year, the Leafs took a lot of good steps in how they played this year. They played the right way, so things are definitely looking up there.
“But it’s a different situation here right now — just a really good, really solid, talented and experienced team. You just go down the list of all-stars on this team. They’ve won a lot of games here in the past and had a lot of success. Just the leadership and confidence here in terms of heading into any game and knowing there’s a good chance to win. It’s a different mindset for sure.”
The transition was especially seamless due to a handful of familiar faces on the Sharks roster, including a pair of former Toronto teammates — defenceman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling — and assistant coach Steve Spott, who previously worked for the Maple Leafs in the same role.
“It was kind of funny. I’m thinking I may never see them again, who knows,” he said. “All of sudden, a couple of days later, here we are.
“I have a lot of respect for (Spott) and got along with him really well last year. I think he’s a really good coach. To have him here and know how he works, that’s made it easier.”
