The Buffalo Sabres have what many believe to be a very talented goaltending tandem in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, but thus far they've not been quite as good as expected.
Now, the team have shaken up their goaltending stocks in a huge way, as they have now officially claimed veteran James Reimer on waivers 24 hours after being waived by the Anaheim Ducks.
The report comes from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, and while there was likely plenty of interest in Reimer, it's the Sabres, who were looking for a veteran presence to help their potential Stanley Cup Playoffs push that ultimately win the race to land him.
The 36-year old has played in just two games this season, giving up 9 goals on 66 shots for the Anaheim Ducks, with Lukas Dostal and John Gibson carrying the load there.
Now in Buffalo, Reimer will get the opportunity to be a consistent backup at the NHL level once more, and after posting a 3.11 GAA and a .904 save percentage a year ago for the Detroit Red Wings in 25 games, a backup role is the perfect position for him.
With Levi and Luukkonen both looking to play significant games this season, it's unclear exactly how Reimer will fit in, but with the young Levi struggling to adjust at the NHL level, he may see his time go down in favour of the veteran.
In other waivers news, Riley Stillman has passed through waivers unclaimed after the 26-year old defenseman was waived by the Carolina Hurricanes, and he will now head to the AHL's Chicago Wolves for the foreseeable future as he looks to find his footing in the organization.
G | A | PTS | ||
Mikko Rantanen | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
Nathan MacKinnon | - | 3 | 3 | |
Nick Bjugstad | 2 | - | 2 | |
Adrian Kempe | 2 | - | 2 | |
Patrick Kane | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Artturi Lehkonen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Mitch Marner | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
William Nylander | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Aliaksei Protas | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
John Tavares | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Michael Kesselring | - | 2 | 2 | |
Anze Kopitar | - | 2 | 2 | |
Brett Leason | - | 2 | 2 | |
Trevor Moore | - | 2 | 2 | |
Shea Theodore | - | 2 | 2 | |
Anthony Beauvillier | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jonatan Berggren | 1 | - | 1 | |
Pavel Dorofeyev | 1 | - | 1 | |
Simon Edvinsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
Tomas Hertl | 1 | - | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 16 | 15 | 1 | - | 30 | |
Devils | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
Wild | 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 23 | |
Panthers | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 23 | |
Hurricanes | 15 | 11 | 4 | - | 22 | |
Golden Knights | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 22 | |
Maple Leafs | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 22 | |
Capitals | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 21 | |
Kings | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 21 | |
Rangers | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 19 | |
Conference | Cumulative |