Rangers Sign James Reimer

The New York Rangers are set to sign goaltender James Reimer to the NHL roster per Mollie Walker of the New York Post. The club later confirmed the deal as a one-year, $850K contract. Reimer was released from his professional tryout contract with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday morning. He played in his first game with Hartford on Friday – a 35-save shutout win over the Providence Bruins. Two days later, the 38 year old will sign into his 17th NHL season.

Reimer also played one game with the AHL’s Belleville Senators before earning a call-up to Ottawa last season. His match in Belleville didn’t end in success – with Reimer allowing six goals in an overtime loss. He bounced back in the NHL lineup, setting a 7-4-2 record and .886 save percentage (Sv%) in 14 games with Ottawa.

Those pair of AHL appearances were the first times that Reimer has seen the minor-leagues since the 2010-11 season. He planted deep roots in the NHL throughout the 2010s, stepping up as the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and San Jose Sharks as part of a career that has spanned eight different clubs. Reimer’s peak came between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. In the former year, he notched a 17-14-7 record and .922 Sv% in 40 games split between Toronto and San Jose. In the latter season, Reimer set an 18-16-5 record and .920 Sv% in 43 games with Florida. He fell into a backup role soon after those seasons but remained a focus of each lineup he was a part of. Across his career, Reimer has racked up a 232-191-67 record and .909 Sv%.

Reimer will join the ninth club of his NHL career in a shift to the Rangers roster. His presence will help New York relieve Dylan Garand of his heavy workload since Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury. The rookie Garand has recorded a promising 4-4-1 record and .900 Sv% in nine appearances this season. Backup goaltender Spencer Martin struggled in his only appearance, allowing three goals in 35 minutes of action. Reimer should step ahead of Martin on the depth chart, though the two could jockey for starts behind Garand.

Their deployment will become even fuzzier when Joonas Korpisalo returns from his week-to-week injury. The Rangers acquired Korpisalo in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick on July 1st. He was slated to begin the season as the Rangers’ backup but has been limited by a lower-body injury. Korpisalo is expected to be back in the lineup by the second week of November, which could leave Reimer and Martin as the preferred AHL tandem.