When the Panthers acquired veteran goalie Reto Berra in a trade last June, a week before free agency hit, it appeared he would be the replacement for Al Montoya, who they chose not to re-sign despite a solid, bounce-back season while spelling Roberto Luongo.
Wrong. Panthers interim coach Tom Rowe, who was calling the shots as general manager then, reiterated Thursday night that longtime Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer was Florida's intended target all along.
Signing Reimer as a free agent in July was a move that kept the Panthers afloat during an injury-plagued, inconsistent first half of the season and what has them in prime position for a return to the playoffs with 19 games remaining.
With Luongo, 37, on the shelf with a lower-body injury for at least a week, Rowe will turn to Reimer, 28, to carry the load with Berra around for emergencies. Berra was called up from the club's American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, on Friday.
"Unbelievable, he's been great, that's why we signed him," Rowe said of Reimer. "Every time we've asked him to come up big, he has. He's had a couple of games that weren't great, but overall it's been amazing what he has done for us."
Luongo left the ice following a busy 13-save first period of Thursday's 2-1 gritty overtime loss to the Flyers after he re-aggravated the injury.
"Call a spade a spade, we got Berra as an insurance policy," Rowe said, referring to Luongo's age and offseason hip surgery as well as the uncertainty of free agency. "Our target was always Reimer. We kept Berra as a backup down there; he was our number one guy to bring up."
Berra, 30, is 19-30-4 with a 2.82 goals-against-average and .906 save percentage in 64 NHL games for Calgary and Colorado. He's 12-14-2 with three shutouts, a 2.53 GAA and .910 save percentage for the Thunderbirds this season.
"Berra had a real good training camp and we got him for this reason," Rowe continued.
Reimer, who was pegged to play between 30 and 35 games to keep Luongo fresh for the postseason, has outplayed Luongo and may make Rowe's decision who to start if the Panthers make the playoffs a tough one.
"I worked hard all summer, and you're ready for whatever comes your way," said Reimer, who has four years left on his $17 million deal. "I hope everything is all right with Lou. ... Whatever happens, be ready and hopefully win some games
Reimer, who saved 35 of 36 shots in relief, is 12-8-5 with a 2.43 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage, which is tied for seventh best in the NHL.
Luongo, who never blames his teammates or a nagging injury on his performance, is 17-15-6 with a 2.68 GAA and .915 save percentage, both below his career averages.
Luongo has five years remaining on his contract worth about $13.7 million, and will most likely be left exposed on this summer's expansion draft. However, the new Las Vegas team will have plenty of younger options for their starting goalie. ...
The Panthers were off Friday so there were no updates on Luongo.
