Rangers waive James Reimer after just one start

New York Rangers have placed veteran goaltender James Reimer on waivers after he made just one start for the team.

Reimer, 38, appeared in a single game this season, playing only one period against the Montreal Canadiens on October 27.

He allowed three goals on eight shots in that outing before being pulled.

The move was first reported by Gino Hard of Markerzone.com and confirmed by multiple outlets including the Associated Press through Stephen Whyno.

The waiver wire makes Reimer available to all 31 other NHL teams for 24 hours.

If no team claims him, he will report to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' AHL affiliate.

Reimer has 539 regular-season games on his NHL résumé, spanning stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and now the Rangers.

He signed with New York in the offseason as a depth option after the team lost goaltender Igor Shesterkin to injury early in the year.

The Rangers brought Reimer in to serve as a temporary backup while Joonas Korpisalo recovered from a foot injury.

Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve on October 21 and has been out since.

The original timeline projected Korpisalo's return around November 9.

Korpisalo was assigned to the AHL on a conditioning stint on November 5.

In his first game back, he stopped 34 of 37 shots against the Hershey Bears, posting a .918 save percentage.

That performance signaled to the Rangers that Korpisalo was ready to rejoin the NHL roster.

With Korpisalo nearing activation, the Rangers faced a roster crunch.

Carrying three goaltenders is a luxury the team cannot afford, especially given their current position in the standings.

The Rangers are 8-7-1 through 16 games, sitting third in the Metropolitan Division.

They are 7-2-0 at home but just 1-5-1 on the road.

Every goaltending decision matters as the schedule shifts away from Madison Square Garden.

After tonight's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Rangers begin a four-game road trip through the NHL's Pacific Division.

Reimer was never expected to be a long-term solution, but the speed of this decision has drawn attention around the league.

One start, one period, three goals against, and the experiment is over.

The Rangers also made a second roster move on the same day.

Defenseman Sean Durzi was placed on injured reserve retroactive to October 26 with an undisclosed injury.

Durzi, 28, has not played since the Rangers' October 26 matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

The injury has not been classified as upper body or lower body, and the team has been quiet about the details.

Placing Durzi on IR does not free up cap space, but it does open a roster spot for a potential recall.

Head coach Mike Sullivan addressed Durzi's status earlier this week, saying, "I don't know that he's going to make the trip initially. I think it all depends on how he progresses, whether he comes initially on the road trip with us. If he doesn't, I would anticipate him joining us. Something of that nature."

Because Durzi's IR placement is retroactive to October 26, he has already hit the seven-day minimum and can be activated as soon as he is medically cleared.

Once healthy, Durzi is expected to resume his role in the Rangers' top-four defensive pairing alongside Marcus Pettersson.

That pairing has played nearly 190 minutes together this season, though their advanced metrics show a 44.4% expected goals share, according to MoneyPuck.

Durzi has scored two goals and five points in 14 games this season with a minus-1 rating in his first year with the Rangers.

For Reimer, the waiver process is straightforward under NHL rules.

Any of the other 31 NHL teams can submit a claim within 24 hours of the waiver posting.

If multiple teams claim him, the team with the lowest standing in the league standings at the time of the claim is awarded the player.

If Reimer clears waivers unclaimed, he becomes eligible to be assigned to the AHL.

The Rangers can then recall him later if needed, but he would have to pass through waivers again if he spends more than 30 days or plays in more than 10 games in the AHL.

This is standard procedure for veteran players on one-way contracts.

Reimer's contract carries a cap hit that would transfer in full to any claiming team.

The question now is whether another NHL team will take a chance on a 38-year-old goaltender coming off one bad period.

Reimer's career numbers include a .910 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average over 539 games.

He has appeared in 41 playoff games, with a .914 save percentage in postseason action.

His best seasons came with the San Jose Sharks, where he posted a .918 save percentage in 2019-20 and helped the team reach the Western Conference Final.

In recent years, Reimer has bounced between organizations as a reliable backup.

He played 43 games for the Detroit Red Wings last season, posting a .905 save percentage on a team that finished near the bottom of the standings.

The Rangers signed him in the summer specifically for depth, knowing that Shesterkin's injury history made insurance necessary.

Shesterkin suffered a lower-body injury in training camp and has been on long-term injured reserve since the start of the season.

His return timeline remains unclear, which is why the Rangers need Korpisalo healthy and playing.