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Goalie problem in Toronto? Reimer out again tonight

James Reimer

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer reacts at the final buzzer as his team beats the Calgary Flames 3-2 in an NHL hockey game in Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

AP

If you’re a Leafs fan and you were excited to see James Reimer return to play goal tonight against the Rangers tonight, you might want to sit down. Reimer is not going to play tonight as he’s still dealing with his “whiplash-like” injury suffered over the weekend and Ben Scrivens has been called up yet again to take his place.

Jonas Gustavsson will get the start in goal yet again for the Leafs and the last time he played against the Rangers in New York City the Leafs lost 7-0. Here’s to hoping for the Leafs sake The Monster has a short memory.

The Leafs putting all their faith in Reimer after last season’s play was a smart move. He’s clearly the #1 guy in Toronto and the team has a much better chance to win with him in goal. Where they messed up, however, was in not finding a more suitable backup. Brian Burke obviously wanted to give Gustavsson the benefit of the doubt and use him sparingly as a backup, but with Reimer’s issues like this and being forced to bank on Gustavsson it means the Leafs are living on the edge.

The sad part for Toronto is that even if they are in the market for a more experienced (read: better) backup goalie, they’re not going to find one in free agency (Marty Turco, anyone?) and teams aren’t just going to give guys away in a trade. It’s The Monster or bust for now until Reimer is ready to go.