The Rangers made two roster moves on Thursday, putting goaltender James Reimer on waivers and placing defenseman Sean Durzi on injured reserve as they get ready for an upcoming road trip.
Reimer is now available to the other 31 NHL teams. If he clears waivers on Friday, he can rejoin the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate. He is expected to serve as Dylan Garand’s backup in Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, but with Joonas Korpisalo close to returning, New York needed to open a spot.
The veteran goalie signed a one-year deal with the Rangers last month to add depth while Korpisalo and Igor Shesterkin were dealing with injuries. He has appeared in four games and started once. That start came last Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, when he allowed three goals on eight shots and was pulled after the opening period.
Reimer’s prorated cap hit is $850,000. He has already played one game for Hartford, turning aside 35 shots in a shutout of the Providence Bruins on Oct. 23.
Durzi’s IR placement is retroactive to Oct. 26, the date he was in the lineup for a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. An undisclosed injury has kept him out of the last two games, and the Rangers do not expect him to travel on the four-game Pacific Division road trip that starts Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.
In 14 games, the Mississauga, Ont. native has two goals and five points, along with a minus-1 rating. He has averaged 19:52 of ice time per game. Durzi arrived in New York this past offseason in a trade with the Utah Mammoth that sent Vincent Trocheck to Utah.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Took An Important Step Toward Goalie Relief
The Rangers took a practical step toward easing their goaltending squeeze by sending Joonas Korpisalo to the AHLs Hartford Wolf Pack on a conditioning loan as he works back from a lower-body injury and a foot infection. The move gives him a chance to get game action again while remaining on the NHL roster and payroll, a useful bit of flexibility for a team that has had to manage the position carefully.
Korpisalos return would give New York another experienced option at a time when Igor Shesterkin has been out for the season because of injury. The loan is governed by the NHL collective bargaining agreement, so the Rangers can keep him with Hartford for a limited stretch while they monitor his recovery and hope the next step is a smoother path back to the crease. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Have Found An Unexpected Answer To Their Center Problem
With injuries and instability forcing the issue down the middle, the Rangers tried something unusual against the Blues and it paid off in a way that was hard to ignore. Will Cuylle was shifted to center for the first time in his professional career, lining up with Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand in a matchup that could have gone sideways quickly but instead gave New York a different look in a 3-1 win.
The line did more than just survive the assignment. Cuylle looked comfortable enough in the middle, and the trio tilted the ice with strong expected goal numbers while also getting on the scoresheet, a promising sign for a team still searching for stability at center. Whether it becomes a real solution or just a useful emergency patch is still to be determined, but it gave the Rangers something they have been lacking: a credible option they had not planned on using. [Read more 🡒]
Wolf Pack's Offense Vanishes As Rangers Goalie Picture Gets Interesting
The Hartford Wolf Packs three-game point streak came to a halt in a 4-1 loss to the Hershey Bears in an Atlantic Division matchup, a reminder that even when the goaltending holds up, the margin for error can disappear quickly on the road. Joonas Korpisalo was in net on a conditioning loan to Hartford and turned aside 34 shots, giving the Rangers organization a closer look at a goalie situation that has become worth monitoring.
Hartford could not generate enough offense to match the effort in goal, and the trip rolls on with a stop against the Rochester Americans next. For the Wolf Pack, the challenge now is finding a way to make the most of these road games while the lineup and the crease picture continue to draw attention from the parent club. [Read more 🡒]