Rangers Hit Panic Button, Sign 38-Year-Old James Reimer Amid Goalie Crisis

Death, taxes, and James Reimer finding his way onto another NHL roster. According to Chris Johnston, the 38-year-old goaltender just inked a one-year, $850,000 deal with the New York Rangers, officially making this his ninth stop in the league.

You do not sign a 38-year-old journeyman in late October because everything is going according to plan. The Rangers are scrambling in the fallout of an injury to superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin, and their crease has quickly turned into a disaster zone.

"Chris Johnston reported the signing on Twitter, noting Reimer is joining his ninth NHL team."

New York just got absolutely torched over the weekend, giving up seven goals to the Ottawa Senators right after dropping five to the Toronto Maple Leafs. When your defense is leaking that badly, you stop looking for a savior and start looking for a guy who simply owns his own gear.

Reimer fits the bill, even if his recent numbers are grim. He recently slogged through a brutal stretch featuring a 3.05 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage. For context, an .891 save percentage means you are basically flipping a coin every time a puck gets tipped in the slot.

But at $850,000, the Rangers are paying for NHL experience, not a Vezina campaign. Reimer is the ultimate break-glass-in-case-of-emergency veteran, a guy who has seen every type of defensive breakdown across eight other cities and will not panic when the blue line collapses in front of him.

The Rangers host the Los Angeles Kings next, and the goaltending situation is officially a red alert. If Reimer ends up between the pipes while Shesterkin recovers, anyone looking at the goal total for that matchup might want to hammer the over before the books adjust.