The Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks are getting very familiar with each other, as the teams both made another big trade, the second in the last week. Goaltender James Reimer was sent out West on Saturday in a trade involving four players. Forward Jeremy Morin was also sent to the Sharks as part of the deal, in exchange for goalie Alex Stalock, forward Ben Smith and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2018 draft.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson is pleased to have the two new players, as his team attempts to go deep into the playoffs.
"James is an experienced NHL goaltender who will help add to our depth at that position as we head down the stretch run of the season," he said in a statement, according to Sportsnet's Jeff Simmons. "Jeremy gives our group another versatile forward and a player that our coaching staff is familiar with. We're excited to add them both to our organization."
This season, in 32 games with Toronto, he is 11-12-3 with a .918 save percentage, and 2.49 GAA. Reimer has spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs, with an overall record of 188-85-76 with a .914 save percentage and 2.83 GAA. This is the final year of Reimer's two-year, $4.6 million contract, and comes with a $2.3 million cap hit. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Goalie Garret Sparks was called up from the Toronto Marlies after the trade was announced.
Morin, 24, is now going through the fifth trade in his short career and fourth in just over a year. He was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Richard Panik and has been playing with the Marlies.
Stalock has played with the Sharks and their affiliate the San Jose Barracuda. The pending unrestricted free agent played in 13 games this season, with a 3-5-2 record, and 2.94 GAA. Smith has also spent a lot of time in the AHL this season, only appearing in six Sharks games this season.
The move is great for a rebuilding Toronto team, as the Maple Leafs now have,28 picks in the next three drafts and 17 in the first four rounds.
