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For the second consecutive year, James Reimer turned a PTO into an NHL deal — and this one will help the Rangers’ goaltending puzzle.
The Rangers signed the 38-year-old Reimer to a one-year contract for the $850,000 veteran minimum after he was released from his PTO with AHL Hartford earlier Sunday, according to The Post’s Mollie Walker.
Reimer made just one start with the Wolf Pack, posting a 35-save shutout Friday, and will now give the Blueshirts an established veteran alongside rookie Dylan Garand with Igor Shesterkin out for the season and Joonas Korpisalo on long-term injured reserve.
Reimer has played in 538 career NHL games, beginning his career with the Maple Leafs in 2010-11 and logging 14 games — with a 7-4-2 record, an .886 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average — with the Senators last year. With his performance Friday, he became the second-oldest goaltender to record an AHL shutout since Wade Flaherty (40 years, 62 days) in March 2008.
In the short-term, Reimer’s addition is a telling sign about Spencer Martin, who the Rangers selected over Garand last year as the backup when Shesterkin was injured and who was Garand’s backup currently. Garand has made seven consecutive starts since Shesterkin’s right skate jammed into the post against the Capitals, and while Garand has impressed with plenty of strong performances, he has recorded just a 1-3-1 record with an .869 save percentage over the last five games.
Garand has struggled with controlling rebounds and allowed five goals during the Rangers’ loss to the Senators on Saturday. Head coach Mike Sullivan has reiterated that the Blueshirts are cognizant of Garand’s workload, too, and Reimer’s addition will provide a window to potentially give Garand some rest.
“We’ve looked at the schedule, so we know where we’re at,” Sullivan told reporters in Ottawa on Friday. “We’ve looked at the body of work. The number of games that he’s played. We look at what we having moving forward and we’re going to try to make decisions accordingly. We’re well aware of what his workload is and where he’s at. … Do we anticipate moving forward giving him some rest? Yes.”