The New York Rangers are adding another veteran to the crease, reaching a deal with James Reimer after his brief stop with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. The club confirmed a one-year, $850K contract for the 38-year-old, who is headed into his 17th NHL season.
Reimer’s time in Hartford was short but productive. He had been on a professional tryout contract and was released from it on Sunday morning after opening with a 35-save shutout against the Providence Bruins on Friday. Two days later, he’s back in the NHL picture.
This latest NHL deal comes after Reimer logged one game with the AHL’s Belleville Senators last season before being called up to Ottawa. That outing in Belleville went poorly - he allowed six goals in an overtime loss - but he settled in once he got back to the NHL. With the Senators, he posted a 7-4-2 record and an .886 save percentage in 14 games.
Those two AHL appearances were his first in the minors since the 2010-11 season. Most of Reimer’s career has been spent in the NHL, where he carved out a long run as a starting goaltender with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and San Jose Sharks among his eight previous clubs.
His strongest stretch came across the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. In 2015-16, he went 17-14-7 with a .922 save percentage in 40 games split between Toronto and San Jose.
The following season, he put up an 18-16-5 record and a .920 save percentage in 43 games with Florida. Overall, Reimer owns a 232-191-67 record and a .909 save percentage.
For the Rangers, the move gives them another option while they try to manage the workload in net after Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury. Rookie Dylan Garand has handled the load so far, putting together a 4-4-1 record and a .900 save percentage in nine appearances. Spencer Martin has struggled in his lone outing, giving up three goals in 35 minutes, and Reimer should move ahead of him on the depth chart.
That said, the picture could shift again once Joonas Korpisalo returns from his week-to-week lower-body injury. The Rangers traded for Korpisalo on July 1st, sending a 2028 fourth-round pick to Ottawa, and he was expected to begin the season as the backup. He’s projected to be back by the second week of November, which could push Reimer and Martin into the AHL mix.
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Prssinens goal gave Hartford a late push and kept the pressure on until the final minutes, but the finish went the other way and left the Wolf Pack still searching for a clean result away from home. They will stay on the road for their next game against the Hamilton Hammers, with the chance to turn a missed opportunity into momentum before the trip gets any longer. [Read more 🡒]
Alexis Lafreniere Is Carrying The Rangers At The Worst Possible Time
The Rangers have spent the last week learning how thin the margin can get when the goals are going in but the structure is not. Two straight high-scoring road losses in Toronto and Ottawa exposed the kind of defensive leaks that can undo even a productive night, and it has left New York leaning harder than ever on Alexis Lafrenire, who has been driving the offense at a career-best pace.
Lafrenires scoring streak has become one of the few steady things the Rangers can count on right now, which makes his surge feel even more important with the team trying to hold together its season through adversity. The problem is that individual offense can only cover so much ground, and with the current challenges around the roster, New York needs a lot more than one hot hand to stop the skid. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Home Stretch Could Expose A Problem They Can't Hide
The Rangers are getting a rare little test of patience this week, with two home games at Madison Square Garden separated by a five-day break. Los Angeles comes in Monday, Edmonton follows, and New York will try to lean on the advantage it has built at home while the schedule leaves plenty of time for the conversation around the roster to keep growing. Adam Fox has continued to drive play at a high level, but the broader picture has been harder to read with the teams uneven road form and the ripple effect of Igor Shesterkins injury still hanging over the lineup.
That uncertainty is especially pronounced in net, where rookie Dylan Garand has started seven straight games and given the Rangers a temporary answer, if not a permanent one. There is also interest around new signee James Reimer, who may be closer to the picture than some expected, and this home stretch could end up clarifying how much longer the club can keep patching things together. For a team trying to stay steady in the standings, these next two games are about more than just points. They may also expose how thin the margin has become. [Read more 🡒]