New York Rangers Add James Reimer On One-Year Contract After AHL Tryout

New York Rangers Add James Reimer On One-Year Contract© Instagram

James Reimer is back in the NHL at 38. The New York Rangers signed the veteran goaltender to a one-year deal worth $850,000 on Sunday, October 25, less than two weeks after he joined the Hartford Wolf Pack on a professional tryout. His path back was not subtle: one AHL start, 35 saves, a shutout against the Providence Bruins, and an NHL contract waiting for him afterward. The shutout made him the oldest goaltender to complete a full AHL game without allowing a goal since 2008. The Rangers needed him because their goaltending depth has been stripped to the bone. Igor Shesterkin, the team's franchise netminder, suffered a season-ending lower-body injury on October 9. Joonas Korpisalo has been out since the preseason. That left Dylan Garand, 24, carrying the starter's load, going 4-4-1 with a 2.65 GAA and a .900 save percentage over the stretch. Spencer Martin was serving as backup and has been assigned to Hartford now that Reimer is on the roster.

James Reimer's Career Numbers and What He Brings to New York

Reimer has played 539 regular-season NHL games across eight franchises, finishing with a 232-191-67 record, a 2.88 GAA, a .909 save percentage, and 32 shutouts. In 11 playoff games he posted a .925 save percentage. Last season with Ottawa, after following a similar tryout route, he went 7-4-2 in 14 games with a 2.42 GAA and a .886 save percentage. His last NHL appearance came on April 15, a 3-1 win over Toronto in which he made 19 saves. The Rangers are not asking him to be Shesterkin. They are asking him to be a reliable option if Garand runs into trouble, which at this stage of the season, with no other experienced goalie behind him, is exactly the kind of depth a playoff contender cannot afford to lack.

Rangers Schedule and What Comes Next

New York entered the week at 7-5-1 and host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. Reimer was direct about where he stands. “I don't need to play, I want to play,” he said after the signing, which is as clean a summary as any of what a 38-year-old veteran on a minimum deal brings: experience, patience, and a readiness to step in without being asked twice.