It’s funny how hockey works sometimes. A guy comes in quietly, no fanfare, no long-term expectations, and suddenly he’s part of the reason a team feels a lot more solid than anyone predicted. That’s been the story of James Reimer with the Ottawa Senators last season. He wasn’t the starter, and he wasn’t the headline. But absolutely one of those steady hands that helped keep everything from wobbling when things got a little messy.

Reimer is uniquely experienced as an NHL backup goalie.

Reimer didn’t get the glamorous workload — far from it. He sat behind a true No. 1 in Linus Ullmark and still found a way to matter every time his name got called. And that’s the part people miss. Backup goalies don’t just “fill in.” In a long NHL season, they hold entire stretches together. They take the tough starts, the back-to-backs, the random nights where momentum is fragile and nobody is fully locked in. And Reimer handled those moments like a pro who’s seen everything the league can throw at him — because he has.

What really stood out was how steady he made Ottawa look during key windows of the season. You’re talking about a guy who posted a 2.42-ish goals-against mark in stretches, made critical starts in tight playoff-push style games, and even stepped in late in games when things were slipping. There were nights when Ottawa didn’t look like they had their best legs, but Reimer gave them structure. Gave them a chance. That doesn’t show up in highlight reels, but it absolutely shows up in standings points over time.

Reimer brings 15 NHL seasons to his craft.

And there’s something to be said for presence, too. Not just saves, but calm. Younger teams feed off that. You can see it in how Ottawa played in front of him. He helps a young team become a little more settled, a little less chaotic when he is in the net. That’s veteran value. That kind of contribution isn’t loud or flashy, but it’s stabilizing. You only fully appreciate it when it’s gone.

The surprise here isn’t that Reimer can still play. He’s done that for a long time. The surprise is how effectively he slid into a pressure environment and made it look normal. In a season where Ottawa pushed to stay competitive, he wasn’t the storyline — but he was part of the reason they could have one. And for a veteran goalie at this stage of his career, that’s a different kind of respect. Not fame. Not headlines. Just trust.

Let’s hope he gets another season, if he wants it, in the NHL. From what we saw last season, he deserves it.