The Rangers add James Reimer after eight straight Dylan Garand starts

Dylan Garand has started eight consecutive games for the Rangers. James Reimer's arrival gives coach Mike Sullivan another option before that burden becomes the permanent arrangement.

The Rangers announced a one-year agreement with Reimer on Sunday. NHL.com reported a value of $850,000. The 38-year-old joins New York after one Hartford appearance: a 35-save shutout in a 2-0 win over Providence on Friday, October 23.

Experience, and a manageable workload

Reimer had joined Hartford on a professional tryout on October 15. The Rangers assigned Spencer Martin to Hartford as part of Sunday's goaltending changes, according to NHL.com. Reimer's signing follows Igor Shesterkin's season-ending lower-body injury on October 9.

The new arrival has played 539 NHL games across 16 seasons. His most recent NHL season, with Ottawa in 2025-26, produced a 7-4-2 record, a 2.42 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage in 14 appearances. That is experience the Rangers can use, not a guarantee that their problems in net are solved.

Garand, 24, has a 4-4-1 record, a 2.65 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage this season. Those are his full-season figures, not a separate statistical line for the eight consecutive starts. He has carried the immediate response to Shesterkin's absence; adding another goalie need not be a verdict against him.

A rotation to establish

Sullivan told NHL.com that the staff would work through a plan for the two goalies. No next starter was announced in the report. One strong AHL outing establishes that Reimer has played recently. It cannot establish how he will perform across an NHL schedule.

The Rangers, 7-5-1, begin a four-game homestand against Los Angeles on Monday, October 26 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The practical value of the signing will come in how that stretch is managed: a second credible option, enough work to keep both goalies ready, and fewer nights when one player is the only answer.