The Rangers’ goaltending picture has gone from shaky to downright tangled, and now New York is right in the middle of a larger league-wide ripple effect.
That all starts with the injuries. Joonas Korpisalo, who opened the regular season as the No. 2 goaltender, wound up on IR just days into the year. The Rangers responded by calling up Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack, a move made possible only because he had cleared waivers after training camp.
Before long, Garand was no longer just filling in. With Igor Shesterkin dealing with a lower-body injury that is expected to keep him out for the rest of the season, Garand was pushed into the No. 1 job. He has looked good so far, but that hasn’t stopped the Rangers from checking the market for more help in net.
One name drawing plenty of attention is Connor Hellebuyck. He asked for a trade from the Winnipeg Jets in the offseason, and Winnipeg suspended him to begin the regular season. Even without him, the Jets have managed a solid 4-3-2 start and sit on 10 points.
A move to New York, though, is not how this particular saga is expected to end. Still, the Rangers are part of the bigger picture, according to Elliotte Friedman on a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
“Whatever Chris Drury is going to do here with the injury to Shesterkin, it could set a chain reaction around the league,” he said.
Friedman also said the Rangers have scouted two other goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres and Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth. That matters because both teams have also been linked to Hellebuyck.
If Buffalo or Utah were to work out a deal with the Rangers to address its own goaltending situation, either club could then quickly turn around and strike a separate deal with Winnipeg for Hellebuyck. That’s the kind of move that could finally close the book on the trade talk.
Stephen Valiquette laid out that possibility on Sportsnet with Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne, framing it as a three-team setup.
"I'm hearing Vejmelka's name a lot being linked to the Rangers. Hellebuyck, by way of Vejmelka coming to New York, would be going to Utah,” said the former NHL goaltender, who is also an analyst for the Rangers on MSG, so he is plugged into the organization.
"I'm hearing Vejmelka's name a lot being linked to the Rangers. Hellebuyck, by way of Vejmelka coming to New York, would be going to Utah."@VallysView chatted with @RealKyper and @jtbourne about the possibility of a deal between the Jets, Mammoth, and the Rangers ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/0MM4cNEW3L
For the Rangers, the need is obvious. Right now, Spencer Martin is Garand’s backup, while James Reimer is the most experienced option behind them after signing a PTO with Hartford.
Korpisalo is expected back in a few weeks, which should give Garand some time to keep running with the job. The Rangers do have salary space to work with while Shesterkin is on IR, but there’s a catch: this isn’t a situation that calls for adding long-term money in goal.
Shesterkin, Korpisalo and Garand are already under contract for next season, so bringing in a goalie who isn’t a pending free agent would only complicate the cap picture.
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There is a particular kind of what-if attached to players like Duda, especially when they start getting real traction elsewhere. Arizona selected him in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, but the first NHL call-up of his career is happening under a different banner, with Utah and Tucson now connected in a new way. It also arrives as the first recall of a Roadrunner to the NHL this season, a small but meaningful marker for a prospect whose path has taken a long time to reach this point. [Read more 🡒]
Coyotes Draft Pick Suddenly Has A Chance To Change His Outlook
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The recall comes with the Mammoth dealing with a rash of injuries, so the move has the feel of added depth as much as added opportunity. Whether Duda gets into the upcoming game is still unsettled, but for a player trying to shift the conversation around his development, even being part of the conversation is a meaningful step. [Read more 🡒]
Roadrunners Face Early Test As Momentum Shifts Away From Home
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Ben McCartney has been one of the drivers of that stretch, staying hot with a five-game point streak, while rookie goaltender Michael Hrabal has also settled in nicely after a recent milestone in net. The Roadrunners will find out quickly whether that momentum can travel, with the first stop in Henderson offering an immediate test of how well Tucson can carry its recent form into a tougher road setting. [Read more 🡒]