Veteran netminder James Reimer reaches agreement with Maple Leafs' heated rival

During the middle of a drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, TSN's Darren Dreger reported that the Ottawa Senators were going to sign veteran nertminder James Reimer to an AHL PTO, with the expectation that it will become an NHL contract as soon as this weekend.

The Senators have been without starting goaltender Linus Ullmark since the 29th of December when he was granted a leave of absence from the team. They've gone 2-4-0 since his departure, which includes an 8-2 shellacking against the Avalanche last night.

In his absence, the Senators have run with Leevi Merilainen, who entered Thursday's game with a 6-8-0 record, a .868 SV%, and a 3.47 GAA, and backing him up has been either Hunter Shepard, who has appeared in just 1 game in relief of Merilainen, as well as Mads Sogaard, who was called up on Tuesday.

With Reimer in the fold, the hope is that he can keep things afloat in between the pipes until Ullmark returns, as well as giving Merilainen some reprieve as the 23-year-old has just 30 games of NHL experience under his belt through his 3rd season.

Additionally, Dreger mentions that the Senators could look towards Reimer as being the backup for the remainder of the season, as long as he can produce in the interim.

Reimer was last in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs when he signed a PTO during training camp. He made one appearance in the final pre-season game before being cut by the Leafs ahead of the regular season opener.

Despite not cracking the Leafs' roster, he's not far removed from game action as he made 24 appearances last year with the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres, and posted a respectable 10-8-2 record, .899 SV%, a 2.90 GAA, and 1 shutout. Reimer is also just 2 years removed from a season where he posted a .904 SV%, so there's certainly something left in the tank.

Expect the AHL PTO to turn into an NHL contract in the coming days with the Senators returning home to host the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Ullmark was designated as non-roster status yesterday and his return to the team is TBD for the time being.

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