San Jose Sharks Activate James Reimer, Reassign Eetu Mäkiniemi
The San Jose Sharks have activated goaltender James Reimer from injured reserve and reassigned Eetu Mäkiniemi to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda; the team announced Monday evening.
Reimer landed on injured reserve back on November 28 after playing through a lower-body injury. The injury caused him to miss eight games, dating back to a pre-Thanksgiving contest against the Seattle Kraken on November 23.
A free agent acquisition a year and a half ago, Reimer’s numbers flattened out after a strong October. Still, his .903 save percentage and 3.00 goals-against average are much better than his counterpart Kaapo Kähkönen, and he’ll undoubtedly return to the starter’s role now that he’s healthy.
Mäkiniemi got into two games during his callup, the first of his NHL career. Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes this past offseason in the Brent Burns trade, the 2017 fourth-round pick got the win in his only start against the Anaheim Ducks on December 9, making 23 saves on 24 shots. With a strong AHL track record so far (.920 save percentage across the last year and a half), expect Mäkiniemi to continue to get callups when injuries strike and even potentially unseat Kähkönen if his poor play continues.
San Jose Sharks Recall Eetu Makiniemi
The San Jose Sharks have called up another goaltender, adding Eetu Makiniemi for the first time this season. Aaron Dell has been returned to the AHL, after allowing five goals on 37 shots against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Makiniemi, 23, was a part of the Brent Burns trade this summer, coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes along with a third-round pick and Steven Lorentz for the star defenseman. The young netminder was originally selected 104th overall in 2017 and has been excellent in his short time in North America.
Over 26 AHL games since the start of 2021-22, Makiniemi has gone 17-6-2 with a .920 save percentage. Given Dell’s struggles, it’s easy to see why the team would want to switch.
Still, it’s not easy to be a Sharks goaltender right now. The team is bleeding shots and scoring chances, and is now one of just three teams in the league to have given up at least 100 goals. Three losses in a row takes them to 8-16-4 on the year, only ahead of the Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division.
With James Reimer still working through an injury, it’s Kaapo Kahkonen‘s net with Makiniemi likely serving as backup. The team has a very light schedule at the moment, with just three games between now and December 17. That means Makiniemi may not actually end up making his NHL debut, though he’ll get some experience and exposure to the league over the next few days at least.