Florida Panthers: Predicting the stats of the defensemen and goalies
Backup Goalie: James Reimer
Like Luongo, Reimer had at best a decent year last season. Reimer started out as the official backup goalie, but then turned into the starter when Luongo went down with an injury. He finished with 39 games started,18 wins, 21 losses (including OT losses), had a save percentage of .920 and had a goals against average of 2.53.
Although Reimer’s statistical numbers are not bad, James failed to show the fans and the organization that he could become the true starter of this hockey club. When Luongo got injured, Reimer had a chance to steal the job right out of Luongo’s hands. Had he led the Panthers to the playoffs, he might have been the starter this year rather than be the backup again. Unfortunately, Reimer was not able to accomplish that and now sits again as the backup. Fortunately for James, and because Luongo isn’t getting any younger, Reimer will again get a chance to showcase his abilities to be a true starter. If he fails once again to prove himself to the organization, he could easily be in another city next offseason. Expect Reimer to have a similar season to last year.
Prediction: 34 games started, save percentage of .919 and goals against average of 2.61