The Rangers’ season took a sharp turn Saturday afternoon when they learned Igor Shesterkin is done for the year after suffering a lower-body injury in the loss to the Washington Capitals.
That kind of hit would shake almost any team, but it lands especially hard in New York because the early part of the season had started to feel different. The Rangers were off to a strong start, and after a few seasons of failure, they looked like they were finally turning things around. Now the front office is staring at a new reality, and the next few weeks will tell a lot about where this team is headed.
The most obvious question is whether the Rangers can keep playing the way they have without an elite goalie standing behind them. For years, this team has leaned on world-class netminding to smooth over its flaws, whether it was Shesterkin or Henrik Lundqvist. That safety net is gone for now, and the pressure shifts onto everyone else.
The top players need to give them more. Pavel Dorofeyev, Mika Zibanejad, and J.T.
Miller have combined for only three goals to open the season, and that won’t cut it if the Rangers are going to stay afloat. Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault also have to show their strong starts are for real, because both are important pieces in the top six.
On the blue line, Adam Fox and the rest of the defense have to stay sharp and dependable. They can’t count on an all-world goalie to erase mistakes anymore.
Then there’s the crease itself, where Dylan Garand suddenly finds himself in the middle of the storm. With Shesterkin out and Joonas Korpisalo sidelined for another month, the job falls to Garand. It has been a strange stretch for him: he was put on waivers before the season, there was real concern another team could claim him, then he cleared, reported to the Hartford Wolf Pack, and was recalled a few days later because of Korpisalo’s injury.
His first start of the season came in Detroit, and he shut out the Red Wings. Now he’s the Rangers’ No. 1 goalie, at least for the moment.
Garand has spent parts of five seasons with the Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, and there was a belief he was ready for a shot in the NHL. He appeared in three games for the Rangers last season when the team was out of the playoff race and played well.
This is the opportunity he has been waiting for, even if it arrived in a way nobody wanted.
Still, the Rangers may not be able to ride out the season with Garand and Korpisalo alone. Even when Korpisalo returns, that tandem feels too unproven for a team that wants to get back to the playoffs. That means the Rangers will likely have to look for outside help, either in a trade or free agency.
The free-agent market is thin. The names mentioned include Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, Matt Murray, and Jonathan Quick, who is now the Rangers’ director of goaltending development after recently retiring.
The trade market is more intriguing, with Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets standing out as the biggest name available. But a move for another elite goalie on a long-term deal would make little sense with Shesterkin still in the picture.
Other trade possibilities include Jordan Binnington, John Gibson, and Darcy Kuemper. All three are in contracts that expire at the end of the season, which could make them more realistic targets for general manager Chris Drury if he decides the Rangers need another answer in goal.
Shesterkin’s injury is a huge blow, no question about it. But it does not have to sink the season.
The Rangers still have enough talent to stay in the mix, and if they can get average goaltending from Garand, Korpisalo, or an outside addition, they should still have a shot at a playoff race. The season is not over - but the questions are here now, and Drury has to help answer them.
In Other News...
Wolf Pack Keep Making The Same Costly Mistake In Losses
Hartfords first meeting with Laval this season started the way the Wolf Pack would have hoped, with Anton Blidh getting them on the board on the power play. But the Rocket steadily turned the game in their favor and pulled away for a 5-2 win, a result that reinforced how quickly one mistake can shift a matchup in the AHL, especially against a team the Wolf Pack will see several more times over the course of the season.
For Hartford, the loss fit a frustrating pattern of games where early positives have not been enough to hold up over 60 minutes. Jay Leach pointed to a roster that is working through injuries and fatigue while younger players continue adjusting to the demands of pro hockey, a process that can show up most when discipline slips and the margin for error shrinks. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Young Core Delivered The Response Fans Needed After Shesterkin Shock
The night after losing Igor Shesterkin for the season, the Rangers needed something resembling a reset, and they got it in a hurry against Vancouver. New Yorks young group supplied the energy and the finishing touch, piling up offense in a way that had been hard to find at times this season, with Tye Kartye and Will Cuylle each scoring twice and Alexis Lafreniere adding another goal in the 6-2 win.
Gabe Perreault was part of that response, too, setting up Lafreniere on the power play before scoring later himself. For a team suddenly trying to recalibrate without its No. 1 goalie, that kind of contribution from the next wave matters as much as the result, because the Rangers are going to need more nights like this if they want to steady things from here. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Start Is Raising One Big Lineup Question
The early part of the Oilers season has already produced one of those small-sample shifts that gets people talking, with Auston Matthews piling up two four-point games in six outings under Jim Hiller after managing only one over two full seasons for Craig Berube. Edmontons own momentum has only added to the noise, as the club moved to 4-0-1 with a win over San Jose and now looks close to getting Zach Hyman back while rookie Owen Michaels could be in line for a larger role.
For the Rangers, the interest around all of it is tied to a different kind of uncertainty. New York is still sorting through its goaltending picture, and the chatter has naturally drifted toward possible external help as the team waits on Igor Shesterkins status and continues without Joonas Korpisalo, but the cap realities make the market tricky to navigate. However that search develops, the sense around the league is that the Rangers are not looking at a splashy long-term answer, which keeps the focus on a more immediate, stopgap solution. [Read more 🡒]