The New York Rangers’ goaltending situation is messy enough that it could open the door for Tristan Jarry, but only if a few other pieces fall into place first.
Igor Shesterkin is out for the season, while Joonas Korpisalo is expected to miss the next four weeks. That leaves New York weighing whether it can patch together enough stability from within rather than jumping into a major move.
Elliotte Friedman addressed the Rangers’ situation on the Oct. 10 edition of Saturday Headlines, and he cooled the idea of Connor Hellebuyck landing in New York. “I don’t think it works, particularly because both goalies would have long-term deals after this season if they were both there,” Friedman explained.
He also said the Rangers would likely stay patient instead of forcing a trade.
That patience makes sense. The Rangers need help in net right now, but adding another expensive goalie with years left on his deal could create a problem once Shesterkin is back.
Jarry is still a commitment, but a much shorter one in comparison. His cap hit is $5.375 million through 2027-28, leaving just one season after this one, and he also has modified no-trade protection that would have to be dealt with where it applies.
That’s where Edmonton enters the picture. If the Oilers eventually become comfortable with Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi as their tandem, Jarry could become the movable piece that gives them flexibility elsewhere. A deal would depend on Andersen’s recovery and Levi keeping his play on track, but the structure would make sense: New York gets an experienced goalie, while Edmonton frees up room to chase help in a different part of the lineup.
Jarry helped his own case on Saturday in a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. He stopped 19 of 20 shots for a .950 save percentage, giving the Oilers another steady outing at just the right time.
For any team considering him, that matters. It’s not enough for one good game to erase the concerns around his consistency, but it does remind everyone what he can offer when he’s locked in.
The real test would be whether he strings together a run of dependable starts. Edmonton needs to know he can do more than simply occupy a netminding slot.
If he keeps playing well, the Oilers can either hold him as insurance or explore a trade from a stronger position. They don’t have to treat him as disposable just because another club is hurting in goal.
Levi is a big part of that calculation. He already turned heads with a 19-save performance against the Seattle Kraken, and Leon Draisaitl was glowing afterward.
“I thought he was fantastic, he made a couple of major big-time stops, great timing on those stops, too,” Draisaitl said. That kind of performance is exactly what Edmonton wants to keep seeing.
Levi doesn’t need to become the unquestioned starter overnight, but if he keeps producing against different opponents and under heavier workloads, the Oilers could start feeling comfortable moving on from Jarry.
Andersen’s return would matter just as much, though his timeline is still uncertain. Head coach Mike Babcock pointed to December as a possible return date, but not a firm one.
If Andersen is healthy and Levi keeps trending up, Edmonton could have enough confidence to move forward with that duo. At that point, keeping Jarry around starts to look less necessary, especially when his cap hit and the difficulty of splitting starts among three NHL goalies are part of the equation.
For Edmonton, the appeal of moving Jarry may come less from the return and more from the flexibility. A proposed framework would be simple: the Oilers get a mid-to-late-round draft pick, while the Rangers take on Jarry.
That’s not a reported ask or a finished negotiation, just a workable structure if the Rangers are willing to absorb the full contract. In that case, the bigger gain for Edmonton would be the chance to redirect resources toward a top-six forward.
The $5.375 million cap hit matters here, though it isn’t automatically usable space the moment Jarry is moved. Timing, replacement costs, Andersen’s activation and the rest of the roster all affect how much room actually opens up. Still, if Edmonton can clear that money and use a modest pick as part of a larger path to scoring help, that may be enough reason to do it.
The biggest obstacle is that New York might never need Jarry at all. Dylan Garand has a chance to prove he can handle a larger role, and if he does, the Rangers could ride a Garand-Korpisalo tandem once Korpisalo returns.
That could shut this window before it really opens, especially since Korpisalo is expected back before Andersen. By the time Edmonton is ready to deal, New York may already have settled on an internal answer.
If Garand struggles, though, Jarry stays in play as a veteran option for the rest of the season. The fit is there, but only if Edmonton becomes confident in its own net and New York decides it needs to spend. If both sides land there, a smaller trade could solve two different problems at once.
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