The Rangers keep getting mentioned in goalie trade chatter, but the Karel Vejmelka talk doesn’t exactly line up with what’s already on their books.
That conversation picked up after former Rangers goalie Stephen Valiquette appeared on Sportsnet and said New York had been connected to a three-team deal that would send Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets to the Utah Mammoth, with Vejmelka landing in New York. Valiquette put it plainly: "I'm hearing Vejmelka's name a lot being linked to the Rangers.
Hellebuyck, by way of Vejmelka coming to New York, would be going to Utah," said Valiquette. "That's the one I'm hearing more than [Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen] coming to New York.
The problem is that the Rangers already checked on Hellebuyck and learned Winnipeg’s price was too steep. And even beyond that, a big-ticket goalie move would be a strange fit for a team that already has Igor Shesterkin under contract through the 2032-33 season at $11.57 million per year.
Shesterkin’s knee injury, which ended his season after the Rangers’ sixth game, created the crisis. It did not change the reality that he is coming back next season.
Vejmelka is a known quantity, but not exactly a flashy one. He has been the Mammoth’s starter since the franchise moved from Arizona to Utah, and Valiquette described him as a "game-eater," but the numbers are ordinary rather than eye-popping.
Last season, Vejmelka led the NHL with 64 games played and 3,692:45 of ice-time, finishing with a 2.75 goals allowed average and a .897 save percentage. For his career, he owns a .899 save percentage and a 3.10 goals allowed average.
The contract situation makes the fit even harder to see. Utah gave Vejmelka a five-year, $23.75 million extension last year, which runs through the 2029-30 season at $4.75 million per year.
Add that to Shesterkin’s deal, and the Rangers would be committing more than $16 million annually to goaltending. Even with the cap climbing, that’s a heavy number for one position.
There’s also the matter of what New York already has in house. Dylan Garand has handled the starter’s job more than capably, and Joonas Korpisalo is still working his way back from injury. The Rangers haven’t even really gotten a proper look at Korpisalo yet after trading for him this past summer, so it’s difficult to imagine them rushing into another move before seeing what he can do alongside Garand.
Garand, meanwhile, has been one of the bright spots in the early part of the season. Through seven games, including six starts, he has posted a .929 save percentage, a 1.85 goals allowed average and a 4-2-1 record. It’s a small sample, but it’s been enough to justify patience.
For now, the smarter play looks simple: stick with Garand, give Korpisalo a chance when he’s ready, and see whether the internal answer holds before chasing another goalie on the market.
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