Igor Shesterkin is locked in as the Rangers’ starter, but the real question in New York’s crease is who gets the job behind him.
That vacancy opened when Jonathan Quick retired at the end of the 2025-26 season, ending three years in the backup role. For a while, it looked like Dylan Garand might be next in line. He got his chance at the end of last season, appearing in three games and posting a .948 save percentage with a 1.62 goals against average.
“It was great, such a good experience,” Garand said of his time with the Rangers to close out the season. “Obviously, waited my whole life for an opportunity like this, and yeah, it was everything I dreamed of.”
Garand’s stock only seemed to rise from there. New York signed him to a two-year extension in late June, a move that looked like a strong signal he’d be on the NHL roster when training camp opened. Chris Drury even praised the young goalie in his exit interview.
“As far as Dylan, I couldn’t be happier for him, coming up and playing as solid as he did,” Rangers’ president and general manager Chris Drury said during his exit interview. “I was excited about what we saw, and we're certainly looking at him and among other options as to see who could be backup.”
Then the Rangers changed the picture on July 1, acquiring Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick.
Korpisalo arrives with a $3 million cap hit for the next two years, while the Bruins are reportedly retaining $1 million per season from the contract, which runs through the 2027-28 season.
On paper, New York says the backup job is open, with Korpisalo and Garand set to compete for it. In reality, the veteran has the clearer path. Drury specifically went after Korpisalo and spent draft capital to get him, and the Rangers are far more likely to lean on a 32-year-old with 334 NHL games than on Garand, who is on a league-minimum deal and has just 3 NHL appearances.
So even with Garand’s strong finish and new contract, Korpisalo enters training camp as the early favorite to back up Shesterkin.
In Other News...
J.T. Miller Trade Talk Puts Rangers Direction Back In Focus
The idea of the Rangers moving J.T. Miller is the kind of trade chatter that instantly says as much about the teams direction as it does about the player. Minnesota is looking for a top-line center, and Miller naturally fits the conversation, but the speculation remains just that. There is no sign he is unhappy in New York, and nothing pointing to a deal being close, which is why the discussion feels more like a reminder of where the Rangers sit in their roster cycle than a real transaction watch.
Still, the fact that Miller is even being used as a theoretical trade piece speaks to the larger conversation around the Rangers and the next phase of the roster. The organization has been weighing a retool around younger players, and that puts every veteran name in a different light, especially with a club like the Wild also kicking around other elite center targets such as Dylan Larkin. For now, the Miller talk is more about philosophy than movement, but it is the sort of idea that keeps the focus on what New York wants to be next. [Read more 🡒]
Scott Morrow Gives Rangers Upside And A Tough Roster Decision
Scott Morrow arrives with the kind of profile the Rangers have had reason to covet for a while: a 23-year-old defenseman with real puck-moving ability, some NHL experience and enough offensive touch to hint at more. Acquired in the K'Andre Miller trade, Morrow split last season between 29 NHL games and time with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and his game now sits at the familiar crossroads for young blue liners trying to stick in New York.
The upside is obvious, but so is the roster squeeze. Morrow has to show he can tighten things up defensively if he is going to carve out a lasting role, and the Rangers are also facing a difficult decision about how much patience they can afford with a player whose long-term fit is still very much in question. For a team that wants help on the back end, he is both a potential answer and a reminder that not every promising piece comes with a clean path forward. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Top Line Puts Real Pressure On Mika Zibanejad Again
Mika Zibanejads 2025-26 season did a lot to quiet the noise around his role, but it also set up the next round of lineup questions for the Rangers. With Alexis Lafrenire coming off a stronger finish to last season and Gabe Perreault showing the kind of playmaking touch that can change the shape of a line, there is real pressure on the long-time center to keep anchoring the top group as the club looks ahead to 2026-27.
What makes the situation especially interesting is how naturally those three profiles fit together on paper. Zibanejad still brings the finishing ability and leadership the Rangers have leaned on, Lafrenire is trending toward a bigger offensive impact, and Perreault adds the creative element that could unlock more chances for everyone. The projections suggest a line with real upside, but they also leave open the bigger question of how the Rangers choose to balance their most established forward with two players pushing for larger roles. [Read more 🡒]