The Rangers’ goaltending situation has gone from shaky to downright desperate, and now a familiar name is being floated as a possible emergency fix.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Jonathan Quick could come out of retirement to help New York if needed. Quick, who was hired over the summer as the Rangers’ new director of goaltending development, is said to be content in retirement. But Kaplan reported that he has indicated he would be willing to step in and “dust off his pads” if the team is in a bind.
That bind is real. The Rangers announced that Igor Shesterkin will miss the remainder of the 2026-27 season because of a lower-body injury, and Joonas Korpisalo is expected to be sidelined for another four weeks. That leaves Dylan Garand as the only healthy NHL goaltender on the roster.
The crisis sharpened Friday night when Shesterkin was injured against the Washington Capitals. He had to be helped off the ice after tweaking his right leg around the midway point of the second period. Garand took over in net, and the Rangers fell 3-1.
Korpisalo’s absence has already been lingering since early in the season. A lower-body injury sent him to injured reserve in early October before he appeared in a game.
The timing stings because New York had opened the season with some promise. With Shesterkin in goal, the Rangers won four of their first five games and looked like a team with playoff potential. Now, with both of their NHL options sidelined, that early momentum has taken a hit.
The organization does have a couple of other goaltenders under contract. Callum Tung and Spencer Martin are both with Hartford of the American Hockey League, giving the Rangers at least some depth beyond Garand if they need it.
If Quick does return, it would add another chapter to a decorated NHL career. The Milford, Conn. native is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning two titles with the Los Angeles Kings before watching the Vegas Golden Knights capture the Cup in 2023. He also holds the record for the most wins by an American-born goaltender with 410, won the Jennings Trophy twice with the Kings in 2013-14 and 2017-18, and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy during Los Angeles’ first championship run in 2012.
In Other News...
Rangers Suddenly Face A Brutal Igor Shesterkin Question
Igor Shesterkins night against the Capitals ended abruptly when the Rangers No. 1 goaltender had to leave with a lower-body injury and did not return, a scary development for a team that has leaned heavily on him. Dylan Garand stepped in and handled the workload after Shesterkin exited, giving New York at least a steady stopgap while the bench waited for word on the starters condition.
The concern goes beyond one game because the Rangers are already dealing with injuries in goal, which has thinned out their options at a position that rarely allows for much margin. New York is still waiting for a fuller update on Shesterkin, and with another game looming, the teams depth chart could be pushed into uncomfortable territory if he is not available. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Affiliate Is Building Early Momentum Behind An Intriguing Goalie Start
The Hartford Wolf Pack kept their early-season roll going with a 2-0 win over the Providence Bruins, giving the Rangers AHL affiliate three straight victories to open the year. Glenn Gawdin supplied one of the goals, and the result continued a start that has put Hartford in a good place before the calendar really settles into the grind of the season.
Callum Tung was at the center of it, turning aside 28 shots to give Hartford the kind of steady goaltending every affiliate hopes to find early. The Wolf Pack now head toward their home opener against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on October 10, with the early question being whether this start is the beginning of something more substantial. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Goalie Surge Suddenly Feels More Real Than Expected
The Hartford Wolf Packs fast start kept rolling with a 2-0 win over the Providence Bruins, another encouraging sign for a Rangers organization watching its goaltending depth closely. The Wolf Pack opened the 2026-27 season at 3-0-0-0, and the latest result came with the kind of steady, low-event hockey that can make an early run feel more legitimate than decorative.
Callum Tung was the biggest reason it held together, turning aside all 28 shots he faced for his first AHL shutout. In a development system, those are the kinds of nights that matter because they hint at more than a clean sheet in October, especially when the results keep stacking up and the crease picture in the organization starts to look a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]