James Reimer, the Buffalo Sabres' best goalie last season, signed a one-year contract with the Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators on Monday.
Reimer, who previously joined the AHL's Belleville Senators under a tryout agreement, had been a free agent since his tenure with Buffalo ended after the 2024-25 campaign. The Sens announced he'll receive a prorated $850,000 salary for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
The 37-year-old Canadian netminder compiled a 2.90 goals against average and .899 save percentage across 22 appearances in his only year with the Sabres. He started 11 of the team's final 15 games as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen struggled through his worst professional season.
Reimer most recently played for Team Canada in the 2025 Spengler Cup. He posted a 2.52 GAA and .906 SV% in two games as the Canadians were knocked out in the quarterfinals.
James Reimer could provide a much-needed boost amid the Ottawa Senators' goaltending issues
Reimer was expected to take on a bit role for the Sabres last season. UPL was coming off a career-best year, highlighted by a .910 SV%, and Devon Levi was waiting in the wings to potentially inherit a share of the starting job in Buffalo.
Instead, Luukkonen could never find any semblance of consistency and Levi failed to earn a full-time NHL role. (And now he still remains with the AHL's Rochester Americans.)
So, Buffalo turned to Reimer in a last-ditch effort to make a playoff surge. He played well, including a .912 SV% in 12 outings from early February through mid-April, but it wasn't enough as the Blue and Gold fell short of the postseason for the 14th straight year.
Now the 6-foot-3 goaltender will be thrust into a similar situation with the Senators, who've dealt with turmoil between the pipes all season.
Linus Ullmark, who won the 2023 Vezina Trophy with the Boston Bruins and tallied a .909 SV% in 44 games during his first season in Ottawa, had an .881 SV% across 28 appearances this season before taking a leave of absence from the organization for personal reasons.
None of the Sens' other goalies have risen to the occasion, either. Leevi Merilainen owns an unsightly .866 SV% in 17 games, while both Mads Sogaard and Hunter Shepard faltered in single outings this season as Ottawa sank toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
In turn, Senators head coach Travis Green will likely look to get Reimer a few starts in the near future to see whether he can provide a hot hand like he did for Buffalo.
It's unclear what type of workload the veteran could potentially handle given his age and the fact he's getting a late start to the season but, with Ottawa lacking other proven options and no timetable on Ullmark's return, Green doesn't have a great alternative.
The Sabres and Senators have already faced off twice this season (two Buffalo wins), and they won't play each other again until April 2.
That could be an incredibly important game if both teams are still fighting for a playoff berth in the East, and there would be additional intrigue if Reimer is tending the twine that night.