There were several moves by the Florida Panthers, including the signing of goaltender James Reimer to a five-year, $17 million deal to share the workload with starter Roberto Luongo.
Reimer has spent six seasons in the NHL, mostly with Toronto. He also appeared in nine games – eight regular-season, one playoff – with Stanley Cup finalist San Jose this past season.
[KURZ: Boedker opts for Sharks due to DeBoer, team success]
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Reimer came to South Florida to see the Panthers’ facilities Friday and was quickly convinced he was making the right decision.
“We’ve got a great team and great management and ownership, they’re passionate about winning,” Reimer said. “As a player, that’s the organization you want to be a part of.”
Luongo is still one of the best in the NHL, but the Panthers have been mindful of not overusing their 37-year-old goalie. He’s sat out roughly one of every four Florida regular-season games in each of the last two years and had offseason hip surgery. The Panthers made a trade for former Colorado backup Reto Berra late last month. If Luongo isn’t ready for opening night, Berra would begin as Reimer’s backup.
“We really targeted Reimer as a guy we see long term,” Rowe said.
San Jose Sharks
READ MORE AT ProHockeyTalk.com