Rangers Waive James Reimer, Place Sean Durzi on IR Ahead of West Coast Swing

The New York Rangers are doing some early-season roster housekeeping, placing defenseman Sean Durzi on injured reserve and throwing goaltender James Reimer onto the waiver wire.

Reimer’s latest stint on Broadway lasted about as long as a tourist in Times Square. The 38-year-old was brought in on a prorated $850,000 deal to stop the bleeding while Igor Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo were banged up. Instead, his lone start featured him giving up three goals on eight shots against the Los Angeles Kings before getting the early hook.

"Daily Faceoff reported the roster moves on Thursday afternoon."

Waiving Reimer is the clearest signal yet that Korpisalo is ready to return from his lower-body injury. If Reimer clears waivers on Friday, he will pack his bags for the Hartford Wolf Pack, leaving rookie Dylan Garand to hold down the fort until Korpisalo is fully cleared for game action.

The Durzi situation is a much bigger headache for a Rangers squad hovering at a mediocre 8-7-1. His injured reserve placement is retroactive to October 26, meaning the undisclosed injury he suffered against those same Kings is worse than a standard day-to-day tweak.

You do not just casually replace a guy eating 19:52 of ice time a night. Durzi was supposed to be a massive piece of the blue line after coming over in the offseason Vincent Trocheck trade, and missing him leaves a gaping hole in the defensive rotation.

For anyone looking at the betting board, the Rangers are currently sitting as -142 home favorites against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night with Garand expected in net. But the real test comes right after that matchup.

New York is about to pack up for a four-game Pacific Division road trip starting Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. They will have to navigate that entire West Coast swing without Durzi, testing exactly how much defensive depth this roster actually has in the tank.