Ducks make eyebrow-raising goaltending addition

The Anaheim Ducks are set with the goaltending tandem of Lukas Dostal and John Gibson for the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season, but were dealt a setback when it was announced that Gibson underwent emergency appendectomy surgery and would be absent for the next handful of weeks.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has acted swiftly and secured some valuable goaltending depth for his team, claiming veteran James Reimer off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres as reported by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman via X:

“Anaheim claims Reimer,” he wrote.

Reimer had been signed by the Sabres during the summer to a one-year contract after playing the 2023-24 campaign with the Detroit Red Wings, where he amassed a record of 11-8-2 with a 3.11 goals-against average, .904 save percentage and two shutouts.

Gibson has been involved in multiple trade rumors in recent years, and also allegedly requested a change of scenery last season.

Meanwhile, Dostal appears poised to seize firm control of the starting job for the rebuilding Ducks after leading all rookie goalies with saves while also setting the franchise mark for saves, games played, and wins by a rookie, earning high praise from head coach Greg Cronin via NHL.com:

“He’s an extremely well prepared athlete,” Cronin said. “He does everything right in terms of his preparation, his visualization and his off-ice conditioning. He’s a consummate pro. He’s a very humble kid, but he’s also very confident. I expect him to play well. I don’t see any issues with him in terms of building on what he did last year.”

With the Ducks set to open the regular season on October 12 against the San Jose Sharks, expect Dostal to the get the start with Reimer serving as backup.

The Ducks are James Reimer’s seventh NHL club