The Rangers have done plenty this offseason to keep most of their fan base satisfied. But the move that’s drawing the loudest pushback is the one behind Igor Shesterkin.
New York brought in veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo to serve as the backup, and that has not gone over smoothly with a lot of Blueshirts Faithful. The frustration starts with the obvious ripple effect: it likely keeps Dylan Garand in Hartford for a fifth straight season, even after he turned heads with three strong starts for the Rangers late last year.
The other issue is Korpisalo himself. He’s coming off a middling season backing up Jeremy Swayman with the Boston Bruins in 2025-26, and he arrives with two more years left on a $3 million salary-cap hit.
Still, this is the kind of decision that can split a fan base right down the middle. Dan Bahl made the case in Forever Blueshirts that the Rangers are better off with Korpisalo as their No. 2, and that argument is very much part of the conversation now.
It’s the sort of debate that figures to hang around all season, and it could get even hotter if Garand is put on waivers at the end of training camp and another team decides to claim him. He’s no longer waivers-exempt.
The prospect side of the organization is getting plenty of attention too. Stat Boy Steven highlighted five Rangers prospects, including Dylan Roobroeck, after their work at the Rookie Series against the Flyers this past weekend. And after the Rangers were swept by Philadelphia in that annual event, it’s time for the kind of report card that usually follows a disappointing showing.
Around the league, former Rangers goalie Cam Talbot has landed back in the Metropolitan Division after signing a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The biggest headline elsewhere came in Chicago, where the Blackhawks made Connor Bedard their new captain on Tuesday. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick is 21, making him the second youngest captain in franchise history, behind Jonathan Toews, who was 20 when he got the job.
There were also a string of major contract developments across the NHL. The Capitals signed Ryan Leonard to an eight-year, $84 million extension, with the deal set to pay him $10.5 million annually starting in 2027-28.
The Senators locked up Drake Batherson on an eight-year, $86 million contract. Noah Ostlund also landed an eight-year extension with the Sabres worth $52.8 million.
Elsewhere, the Blue Jackets and Adam Fantilli remain apart on a new deal, though the sides are still working at it. In Detroit, where the Red Wings still do not have a general manager, Shawn Horcoff has been named interim GM after serving as assistant GM.
New Jersey is dealing with its own contract situation, as James Nichols looked at where the Devils and Luke Evangelista stand in extension talks and whether a deal can be completed before midnight Tuesday, when the new CBA rules take effect.
And in Minnesota, Michael Russo reported that the Wild want Dylan Larkin - and Larkin wants the Wild - though a trade does not appear to be close.
In Other News...
Rangers Top Prospect Is Forcing A Decision Sooner Than Expected
The Rangers drafted Alberts Smits in 2026 to give their blue line a future anchor, and the early returns have already pushed him into a bigger conversation than the club probably expected this soon. After a productive season in Finlands Liiga and a run in Germanys DEL playoffs, the defenseman has drawn attention from scouts who see a player close enough to NHL consideration that the team cant simply file him away and wait.
Preseason now looms as the real test. It will give the Rangers a chance to see how Smits handles NHL pace and pressure, and it will shape whether he stays in the mix for the roster or heads back into another year of development abroad. For a franchise trying to balance patience with urgency, his camp could end up answering a question sooner than anyone planned. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Big Gabe Perreault Decision Fans Will Debate
With the NHL deadline for signing eight-year contract extensions drawing near, Gabe Perreault has become one of the more interesting unresolved pieces in the Rangers prospect picture. While several other young players in the organization have already secured long-term deals, Perreault has not entered extension talks with the club, according to beat reporter Peter Baugh.
For the Rangers, the situation leaves a notable decision hanging in the background as they sort through their next wave of talent. Perreault is slated to be a restricted free agent next summer, and the timing could work in his favor if he chooses to wait and see how his game develops before anything more permanent is on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Enter Camp With One Huge Question About This New Core
A shortened training camp is giving the Rangers little time to sort through a roster that looks very different from the one that finished last season. With new ownership, a revamped front office and several notable departures, including Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Quick, the focus quickly turns to how the new pieces fit. Pavel Dorofeyev, Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi and Joonas Korpisalo are among the additions trying to settle in as the club reshapes its identity under Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan has already got the kind of lineup decisions that can define an early season, from forward combinations to the way the blue line will be paired. The Rangers still believe this group can get back to the playoffs, but the biggest question in camp is whether the new core can find chemistry fast enough to make the changes matter. [Read more 🡒]