Connor Hellebuyck’s move to the New Jersey Devils did more than shake up the Metro. It also closed off one of the stray goaltending paths that had been floating around the Rangers’ orbit, and left New York facing the same basic reality it has been dealing with since Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury: the backup spot still needs a real answer.
There was plenty of chatter that the Rangers could have used their cap space to chase Hellebuyck after Shesterkin went down, but that was never a workable outcome. A smaller possibility had New York stepping in as a third team in a deal, taking on a goalie to back up Dylan Garand while helping ease the money side for the club landing Hellebuyck. Friday’s blockbuster removed that from the board, and it also pushed the Rangers toward a more practical solution.
That solution is starting to look a lot less theoretical and a lot more obvious. James Reimer is on an ATO with Hartford, and he opened that stint with a 35-save shutout against the Providence Bruins.
It came in his Wolf Pack debut, a clean first look at where his conditioning and readiness stand. At 38, Reimer has 539 NHL games behind him, including 14 with the Ottawa Senators last season, when he posted a .886 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average.
Hartford’s James Reimer (38y, 222d) is the oldest goaltender to record a shutout in @TheAHL since Wade Flaherty (40y, 62d) for the @goicehogs on Mar. 13, 2008. https://t.co/lZlJ8eMQNi
- AHL Communications (@AHLPR) October 24, 2026
The Rangers also trimmed another piece of the goalie puzzle on Friday when Justin Dowling was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack after Luke Glendening signed on Thursday. That made Glendening the first player the Rangers have moved from a PTO to a standard contract this season, and it also hinted that someone signed before him could be next in line for an NHL deal.
The broader market has narrowed, too. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Karel Vejmelka were never realistic fits for New York, especially with the organization already committed to Garand in the near term. Once the Hellebuyck trade was finalized, the idea of the Rangers burning premium assets on a separate goaltending move lost whatever steam it had left.
What remains is the schedule, and it is not doing New York any favors. From November 1 through November 13, the Rangers will play seven games in 13 days with no real breather, including a four-game swing through Seattle, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. Garand has started every game since Shesterkin’s injury, while Spencer Martin has only appeared in mop-up time during the blowout loss in Newark.
Mike Sullivan has made it clear he knows the workload is real.
Mike Sullivan said the Rangers are “well aware” of Dylan Garand’s workload.
“Do we anticipate, moving forward, giving him some rest? Yes.”
- Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) October 23, 2026
With Joonas Korpisalo out with a foot infection and still weeks away from game action, Reimer on a prorated, league-minimum NHL contract would be the cleanest move left for Chris Drury. It would give the Rangers a veteran who can absorb some of the load, keep Garand from being run into the ground, and prevent New York from having to keep rolling the dice with Martin.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Hartford Closely
The Hartford Wolf Pack finally got a result they could build on, ending a five-game skid with a 2-0 shutout of the Providence Bruins. For Rangers fans keeping one eye on the affiliate, it was a notable night because James Reimer stepped in for his Wolf Pack debut and looked very much like a veteran stabilizer, while Hartford got goals from Liam Greentree and Carey Terrance to snap the slump.
Reimer stopped 35 shots and gave the Wolf Pack the kind of calm, steady performance they had been missing during the losing streak. The bigger payoff for Hartford, and potentially for the organization, came from the way the game tightened late before Greentree delivered the key goal on the power play in the third period, giving the Rangers' minor-league club something to build around after a rough stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Must Avoid One Blue-Line Mistake Fans Have Already Seen
The Rangers added some depth on the blue line before heading into Ottawa by recalling Matthew Robertson from Hartford, a move that looked more like insurance than a guarantee of ice time. With the back end still being managed carefully, Mike Sullivan said Sean Durzi would be evaluated before the game, leaving the club with some uncertainty as it sorts out its defensive combinations on the fly.
Robertsons presence also comes with a wrinkle the Rangers have to monitor closely, since his NHL game count remains tied to contract-status considerations. If Durzi is unable to go, the more immediate question may not be whether Robertson dresses at all, but how Sullivan chooses to arrange the pairings and which defenseman gets the next look in a lineup that still has one moving part left to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Have An Oliver Bjorkstrand Problem They'd Love To Solve
Oliver Bjorkstrand has done exactly what the Rangers hoped he might do, only in a role that has made the fit look a little awkward so far. Even while skating on the fourth line, he has already scored multiple goals, giving the club a useful scoring punch from a spot in the lineup that usually does not produce much offense. For a team still sorting through its forward mix, that kind of production has made Bjorkstrand impossible to ignore.
Mike Sullivan has made it clear he wants to get Bjorkstrand on the ice more often, and the Rangers are looking at different ways to make that happen without creating another hole elsewhere. The addition of Luke Glendening was meant to help steady the center depth after Joe Veleno's injury, but it also adds another layer to the lineup puzzle as the Rangers try to balance veterans, depth needs and the best way to use one of their most productive scorers. [Read more 🡒]