Goalie James Reimer signs a PTO, reunites with former team

On Friday morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced a surprising reunion with one of their former players. The team revealed it had signed goalie James Reimer to a Professional Tryout (PTO).

Reimer, who spent the the first six years of his career in Toronto, is coming in, days after the Maple Leafs confirmed that goalie Joseph Woll was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.

On Tuesday, Toronto revealed that Woll had stepped away to deal with a personal family issue. There is no timeline for his return, which was probably one of the driving forces for the Leafs to offer Reimer a PTO.

At 37 years old, and coming off an average season, Reimer could be motivated to finish off his career on either a league minimum contract, or one that would be even better for GM Brad Treliving and the Leafs, a two-way deal. But first, he needs to impress at camp and get a deal.

The veteran goalie spent last season split between the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks. He went a combined 10-10-2 with a very respectable 2.85 goals against average in 22 outings with the Sabres.

With the Maple Leafs, Reimer posted a 85-76-23 record, alongside a 2.83 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage over 207 regular season games. He was also the starting netminder in seven playoff games with the Leafs and was in net when Toronto blew a 4-1 third period lead in Game 7 of the opening round series against the Boston Bruins back in 2013.

Reimer then became an NHL journeyman of some sorts, after he was traded to the San Jose Sharks ahead of the 2016 Trade Deadline. He then made stops with the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Sabres and Ducks over the years.

Now, he's back in Toronto.