Surely, the time has come for James Reimer’s Ottawa Senators debut.

The 37-year-old newcomer is expected to be between the pipes for the Senators (22-19-6) when they roll into Motown for a visit with the Detroit Red Wings (29-16-4) on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS2).

Reimer backed up on Saturday for Leevi Merilainen, who made just 13 saves in a 6-5 overtime loss against the Montreal Canadiens at Canadian Tire Centre. Merilainen’s season save percentage fell to .860, second-last in the NHL amongst goaltenders with 10 or more starts.

“It’s hard to give him a pass,” coach Travis Green said of Merilainen’s performance. “Six goals on [19] shots. I’m sure he’d like to have one or two back. I feel bad for him.”

When asked post-game, Green would not commit to Reimer starting on Sunday, but Merilainen’s poor play undoubtedly makes it an easy decision. The Senators cannot afford to have the 23-year-old in net anymore, as they sit seven points outside of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Straight into the line of fire

It has been a whirlwind week and a half for Reimer.

On Jan. 9, he signed a professional tryout with Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Two days later, he made 22 saves in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Rochester Americans.

Despite the .786 save percentage, Belleville interim coach Andrew Campbell believed Reimer held down the fort well.

“I mean, it’s a chaotic game,” Campbell said. “The American League is the American League; the NHL is the NHL. And guys are in the American League for a reason. It’s a lot more predictable hockey that he’s used to in the NHL, but yeah, he was solid and it was good for him to see some pucks and get his feet under himself.”

That performance was good enough for the NHL club on Monday to sign Reimer to a one-year contract worth a pro-rated $850,000 US. He took part in four practices this week, and also backed up Merilainen against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, an 8-4 drubbing in Ottawa’s favour.

Outside of his lone game with the Sens’ farm team, Reimer hasn’t seen a ton of game action this season. He made two starts for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, in which he had a 1-1-0 record and a .906 SV%. When he wasn’t overseas representing his country, Reimer was back home in the Okanagan region of B.C., practicing with two junior teams in the BCHL. He attended Toronto Maple Leafs training camp in the fall but was never offered a contract.

His most recent NHL start was on April 17, 2025 for the Buffalo Sabres, a 5-4 win against the Philadelphia Flyers; he made 20 saves. Reimer finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 10-10-2 and an .896 SV%, splitting his time between the Sabres and Anaheim Ducks.

Something that could soothe the nerves on Sunday: Little Caesars Arena is a familiar barn for Reimer. He played 25 games for Detroit in 2023-24.

And his career numbers are strong. In 479 starts, Reimer is 225-187-65 with a .910 SV% and 31 shutouts.

Reimer’s arrival comes as Merilainen is in dire need of a rest. The young Finn, in his first full season in the NHL, started his 10th straight game on Saturday, the longest such streak in the league this season. He has struggled mightily with an expanded role, owning an 8-10-1 record in 19 starts.

Help is on the way

Ottawa’s No. 1 goaltender could be returning soon. Linus Ullmark, who took a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons on Dec. 28, practiced with the team on Friday for the first time since his departure. Green said, as of before the game on Saturday, it was the plan for Ullmark to travel with the team on the road trip through Detroit, Columbus and Nashville.

It’s still unknown when Ullmark will suit up again. When he does, Ottawa will look to him to carry the vast majority of the load for what remains of a push for the playoffs.

But on Sunday, surely, it should be Reimer’s crease.

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