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Reimer practices, still at least a week away

James Reimer

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer makes a save on the Winnipeg Jets during an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011, in Toronto. Toronto won 4-3 in a shootout. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

AP

The slumping Maple Leafs have to be looking for any good news they can find right now. Well, the good news is their promising young goaltender James Reimer was able to practice during an optional skate today. He may not be ready to return yet, but at least he’s back on the ice. Any progress is a good thing, right?

The Leafs still aren’t officially saying what’s ailing Reimer, but they previously said he was suffering concussion-like symptoms. If we assume those are the same problems he’s dealing with, then we know that any timetable for a possible return can be termed as “tentative” at best. Still, Ron Wilson gave fans a ballpark update to work with today.

“He won’t be playing for at least another week to 10 days if everything goes smoothly,” Toronto’s head coach said.

Again, hockey fans have come to learn that anything resembling concussion-like symptoms can take a while to recover from these days. Yet whenever Reimer is ready to return to the ice, the Leafs will welcome the netminder back to the lineup with open arms. After a quick start out of the gate, the Leafs have lost their last six games (0-4-2) and have been giving up a ton of goals in the process. Some will say it’s the defense taking a step back, but Reimer’s stellar play has a way of making any defensive corps look a little better. All we know is they’re losing and giving up a lot of goals in the process.

In the meantime, the Leafs will have a busy week without their prized goaltender. Will they be able to keep their heads above water as he recovers? They’ll have to figure out how to earn a few wins if they want that playoff berth in April.