The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Friday that they have signed goalie James Reimer to a professional tryout contract (PTO).

The news comes in the wake of Joseph Woll taking a leave of absence on Tuesday to attend to a personal family matter. GM Brad Treliving  said they had no timeline for how long Woll would be away from the team, or if he would return for the regular season opener on October 8, but did mention that they would keep a close eye on the goalie market.

“You’re always looking at your team. You just have to wait and see. We’re comfortable with the goalies we have. And we’ll see,” Treliving said of the Maple Leafs’ goaltending depth.

While the leave of absence of Woll compounded the need for the Leafs to bring in Reimer on a PTO, their decision to reunite with a veteran goalie makes a lot of sense. Their tandem of Woll and Anthony Stolarz were certainly effective in the games that they played, but both also present risks as the two have dealt with numerous ailments throughout their careers.

Before Reimer’s return was announced, the only other goalie in the Leafs’ organization with NHL experience was Dennis Hildeby, who had played all his games last season. There have been encouraging signs with his development throughout training camp and preseason so far, but he remains a raw prospect and will benefit from consistent playing time in the AHL. That wouldn’t have been possible had they not brought in a veteran third-string netminder as there would have been lengthy stretches of time where Hildeby would be sitting on the bench.

The Leafs have had a recent precedent of keeping a veteran option around as a failsafe to ensure the younger netminders aren’t thrust into NHL action before they are ready. The 2023-24 season saw Martin Jones get into some NHL games, while Matt Murray was utilized last year for a handful of contests. Reimer is in the latter stages of his career at this point and can handle the longer gaps in between starts, so having him around beyond the PTO wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Reimer split the 2024-25 season between the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks, where he posted a combined record of 10-10-2, a .896 SV%, a 3.04 GAA, and a shutout across 24 games played. Originally selected by the Leafs in the fourth round 99th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, he spent the first six seasons of his career in Toronto before being dealt to the San Jose Sharks in 2016.