The New York Rangers’ latest goalie move didn’t arrive with the splash many around the team had been expecting. Instead of a headline-grabbing NHL deal, the organization turned to the American Hockey League and brought in James Reimer.
The path to that move was already foreshadowed by Elliotte Friedman on the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast. Before the signing became official, Friedman said, “One thing I did hear, I heard that they might be bringing someone into Hartford in the American Hockey League.
They don’t have a lot of bodies right now. They have (Dylan) Garand and Spencer Martin, and Korpisalo, of course, is still hurt.
I did hear that there’s somebody coming to their American Hockey League team, the Wolf Pack. And we’ll see where that goes over the next 24 to 48 hours.”
Not long after, the Hartford Wolf Pack announced that Reimer had signed a professional tryout agreement. The club also loaned defenseman Anthony Kehrer to the Worcester Railers of the ECHL.
At this stage, Reimer’s role is clear: he gives the Rangers another option in the system, and depending on how he performs, he could work his way into the team’s goaltending picture. The expectation, though, is that he strengthens the AHL level first.
That matters because the market for available depth goalies is thin. If the Rangers decide they need another body and don’t want to chase a trade, the free-agent group becomes the likelier place to shop.
One name on that list is Connor Ingram, though he has already retired. Another is Petr Mrazek, who remains a possibility after a rough 2025-26 season in which he played just 10 NHL games and posted a 4.07 GAA with an .858 SV%.
Even so, he is still looking to keep playing, and an AHL role could appeal if it offers a route back to the NHL.
Matt Murray is also still available. In his last stint with the Seattle Kraken, he appeared in five games and finished with a .922 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average in just under 217 minutes of ice time.
For now, the Rangers are leaning on what they have. Thursday offered the first real taste of trouble when the New Jersey Devils broke open the second period and chased Garand.
Martin didn’t fare much better after coming in, and with Reimer still on an ATO, that group will need to hold the line until Korpisalo returns. Even with Reimer in the fold, the Rangers may not be done keeping tabs on the goalie market.
In Other News...
Rangers-Affiliated Wolf Pack Suddenly Have A Skid Fans Can't Ignore
The Hartford Wolf Packs rough patch deepened with a 2-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers at Bojangles Coliseum, their fourth straight defeat and a reminder that even a solid start can quickly get shaky in the AHL. Donovan Sebrango opened the scoring for Charlotte, and Bryce McConnell-Barker answered for Hartford, but the Rangers affiliate could not find enough to steady itself after a game that stayed tight for most of the night.
Hunter St. Martin broke the tie late in the third period to send the Checkers home with the win, adding another frustrating finish to a stretch the Wolf Pack would rather forget. For a team that had been undefeated away from home until now, the setback also marked its first road loss of the season, a jolt that makes the skid feel even more noticeable. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Took One Bad Loss And The Overreaction Was Immediate
A lopsided night in New Jersey was enough to send the early-season conversation around the Rangers into a familiar place: a little too much sky-is-falling energy for a team that had otherwise started well. At 6-3-0, New York has already banked enough good work to make one bad outing feel more like a stumble than a verdict, even if the 7-1 loss to the Devils was hard to ignore.
Still, the reaction around the league moved fast, and it showed how thin the margin can be in October and November when power rankings are chasing form more than results. The Rangers have already beaten teams they needed to measure themselves against, which is why the sudden slide in perception feels more severe than the standing alone would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Wolf Pack Get Immediate Shot To Answer Back After Costly Finish
The Hartford Wolf Pack left Charlotte with the kind of loss that can linger, but they do not have long to dwell on it. In the first meeting of the season between the clubs, Hartford fell 2-1 after a game shaped by strong goaltending at both ends and a tight margin that never really opened up. The Wolf Pack got on the board with a goal from Bryce McConnell-Barker, giving them a chance to grab something out of a low-scoring road game.
Charlotte ultimately found the finish when the game tilted late, and now the Wolf Pack get an immediate chance to respond in the rematch the next day. For Hartford, that makes the next outing feel less like another regular season game and more like a quick test of recovery, especially after a finish that denied them at least a point. The reset comes fast, and so does the opportunity to show the first result was not the full story. [Read more 🡒]