Anaheim Ducks claim veteran goaltender James Reimer on waivers

PUBLICATION

Tom Banks
October 7, 2024 (5:22 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

James Reimer is a controversial figure in the NHL, but after being waived on Sunday, he's promptly been claimed by the Anaheim Ducks.

With NHL rosters having to be finalized ahead of the regular season, Sunday saw one of the busiest waiver days of the NHL calendar, with many big names being placed there. That included former first-round pick Jakob Pelletier, veteran forward Pierre Engvall, and surprisingly, veteran goaltender James Reimer. Despite landing with the Buffalo Sabres just this off-season, Reimer couldn't find a spot on the roster with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, but not many expected him to be claimed.

However, it would ultimately be the Anaheim Ducks that scooped in and claimed the 36-year-old veteran of 501 appearances in the NHL, according to insider Elliotte Friedman, who has broken plenty of news today after a crazy day of waivers on Sunday.

With Lukas Dostal taking over the No. 1 goaltender role in Anaheim, the team was left desperately needing a backup, ideally with plenty of experience at the NHL level, and while there were conversations about a trade, now, the team has done it in the cheaper way, landing the experienced Reimer on Monday.

Last season, Reimer played in 35 games for the Detroit Red Wings, posting a 3.11 GAA and a .904 save percentage over that time, so while he's no longer the goaltender he once was, it's safe to say he can still be effective at the NHL level. With a young roster in Anaheim, confidence is sky-high for the future of the organization, but if Dostal and Reimer can be solid in the net, there's no reason why they can't take a massive step forward in 2024/25.