BUFFALO – Having decided to utilize two young goalies next season, the Sabres needed to find a veteran to provide depth at the critical position.
So on Tuesday, they signed James Reimer, 36, to a one-year, one-way contract worth $1 million.
That salary, of course, is hefty for a No. 3 goalie who will likely play in the minors. Still, general manager Kevyn Adams, who recently said the Sabres plan to have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 25, and Devon Levi, 22, in Buffalo, considered finding an experienced netminder a priority.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Reimer hasn’t played in the AHL since 2010-11.
Reimer has played 501 NHL games over 14 seasons, compiling a 215-177-63 record with a 2.88 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and 30 shutouts.
He spent last season with the Detroit Red Wings, registering an 11-8-2 mark with a 3.11 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 25 games.
He has also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks.
The Sabres on Monday also signed goalie Felix Sandstrom, who will likely play for Rochester.
Sandstrom, 27, spent most of last season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, compiling a 13-7-3 record with a 3.15 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage in 24 games for the Philadelphia Flyers’ AHL affiliate. He recorded a 1-2-0 mark with a 3.87 goals-against average and an .823 save percent in five NHL games.
The 6-foot-2, 191-pound Swede has registered a 4-18-4 record with a 3.66 goals-against average and an .880 save percentage in 30 career NHL games.
– The Sabres on Tuesday also signed defenseman Colton Poolman to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in the NHL.
Poolman, 28, compiled three goals, six points, eight penalty minutes and a plus-4 rating in 66 games for the Calgary Wranglers last season, the Flames’ AHL affiliate.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Poolman will likely start the season in Rochester. The North Dakota product has spent his entire career in the minors.
More information on some of Monday’s depth additions is below.
– The Sabres signed center Josh Dunne to a two-year contract worth $775,000 per season in the NHL.
Dunne, 25, compiled two goals, seven points, 24 penalty minutes and a plus-5 rating in 25 games for the Cleveland Monsters last season.
The 6-foot-4, 211-pound Dunne, a Clarkson product, recorded zero points in 14 career games with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
– The Sabres signed defenseman Jack Rathbone to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in the NHL.
Rathbone, 25, compiled nine goals, 16 points, 23 penalty minutes and a plus-16 rating in 69 games with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and Abbotsford Canucks last season.
The 5-foot-10, 177-pound Rathbone, a Harvard product, registered two goals and five points in 28 career NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks.
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Some former Sabres and farmhands have found work in the first two days of free agency.
– Winger Jeff Skinner, who was bought out by Buffalo on Sunday, signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
– Winger Zemgus Girgensons signed a three-year, $2.55 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
– Winger Victor Olofsson signed a one-year, $1.075 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.
– Goalie Eric Comrie signed a two-year, $1.65 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets, his first NHL team.
– Winger Eric Robinson signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with Carolina.
– Center Tyson Jost signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Carolina.
– Center Brandon Biro, who spent most of his time in Rochester, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken worth $775,000 in the NHL.
– Defenseman Joseph Cecconi, who spent a season and a half in Rochester, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild worth $775,000 in the NHL and $325,000 in the AHL. Cecconi is a Youngstown native.
– Defenseman Jeremy Davies, who spent most of the last two seasons in Rochester, signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Ottawa Senators worth $775,000 in the NHL and $350,000 in the NHL.
