Red Wings sign goaltender who has started nearly 450 games

The Detroit Red Wings have signed goalie James Reimer to a one-year, $1.5M contract, the AP’s Stephen Whyno reports.

With Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg cut loose to the free-agent market, the Red Wings needed to bring someone in who could serve as the backup to incumbent starter Ville Husso.

They’ve tapped Reimer to fill that role, a 35-year-old veteran of nearly 500 NHL games, including starts in 438 regular-season and 10 playoff contests. Reimer has spent the last two seasons with the San Jose Sharks, and while he posted a brutal .890 save percentage this past season, he did manage a .911 the year before. If the Red Wings can get play out of Reimer closer to his 2021-22 form, this will end up a sound investment for the club.

Reimer likely isn’t going to receive as heavy a workload in Detroit compared to what he got in San Jose, so getting more time off between games and less pressure placed on him than he had as a true tandem goalie could contribute to an improvement in Reimer’s numbers. That’s likely what Detroit is betting on here.