The Ottawa Senators have signed 37-year-old goaltender James Reimer to a one-way contract for the rest of the season.
The $850,000 deal comes as Ottawa’s starting goaltender Linus Ullmark remains on a personal leave of absence.
The Senators are Reimer’s eighth NHL team. He has played 525 games since his debut in December 2010 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Most recently, the Manitoban played 22 games with Buffalo last season. His .901 save percentage that season would have made him Ottawa’s top goalie this year, while Reimer’s 2.90 goals-against average is similar to Ullmark’s.
Reimer played for Team Canada in the most recent Spengler Cup, an annual European club hockey tournament.
He then signed a tryout deal with the Belleville Senators last week. He stopped 22 of 28 shots in a home loss to Rochester Sunday.
In 2023, Reimer declined to participate in a pre-game warmup as a member of the San Jose Sharks when the team wore Pride-themed sweaters. He said while 2SLGBTQ+ people should be welcome in hockey, he was “choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions, which are based on the Bible.”
The NHL banned “cause-based” sweaters after that season, when a handful of other players making similar choices.
Ottawa has lost five of their seven games since Ullmark’s leave began Dec. 28, giving up an average of four goals a game.
Just past the halfway point of the season, the team’s 45 points has them tied with Columbus for last in the Eastern Conference.
