Steve Valiquette believes the Rangers have another goaltending name to watch, and it’s not the one most people have been talking about.
On Real Kyper & Bourne this week, Valiquette said he’s hearing Karel Vejmelka’s name “a lot” in connection with New York, while laying out a possible three-team deal that would involve the Rangers, Utah Mammoth and Winnipeg Jets. In that scenario, the Rangers would land Vejmelka, Utah would get Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg, and the move would depend on all three clubs lining up on the pieces.
"That's the one I'm hearing more than [Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen] coming to New York," he continued. "It has to be a fit for three teams. That's what's going to make this Hellebuyck move very unique."
Valiquette also made the case for why Vejmelka matters. He called him "a really good goalie" and pointed to a striking detail from last season: among the playoff teams, Utah was reportedly the only one whose backup goalie did not collect 25 points. In Valiquette’s view, that speaks to how much Vejmelka had to shoulder.
"He did it on his own," he said. "He's a game-eater, and he can play."
Still, there’s a big-picture complication if the Rangers were to pair Vejmelka with Igor Shesterkin. Vejmelka’s contract carries a $4.75 million AAV and has four years left, and Valiquette questioned whether that money would make sense for New York if the two goalies were tied together long term. He suggested the combined figure could land around $15 million.
"In the future, if it was Vejmelka and Shesterkin, for around $15 million total, I don't know if that's something that works," Valiquette continued. "But I keep going back to the fact that once upon a time we did see [Dominik] Hasek in the same net as [Curtis Joseph] when they were both in Detroit. Teams find a way to figure it out."
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That uncertainty is especially pronounced in net, where rookie Dylan Garand has started seven straight games and given the Rangers a temporary answer, if not a permanent one. There is also interest around new signee James Reimer, who may be closer to the picture than some expected, and this home stretch could end up clarifying how much longer the club can keep patching things together. For a team trying to stay steady in the standings, these next two games are about more than just points. They may also expose how thin the margin has become. [Read more 🡒]