The Rangers’ season is barely underway, and already their goalie depth has taken a hit.
Joonas Korpisalo is headed to injured reserve with a lower-body injury and is considered week-to-week, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post. That leaves New York without the No. 2 goalie it opened the season with behind Igor Shesterkin, and it forces an immediate shuffle just one game into the regular season.
To fill the opening, the Rangers are recalling Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack, per the team’s official PR account on X. The move gives Garand a real chance to seize the backup job after he was among the final cuts before opening night.
That decision had already drawn plenty of attention. Garand and forward Taylor Raddysh were both waived, and Garand went unclaimed despite reported interest. The Winnipeg Jets instead claimed Clay Stevenson from the Washington Capitals, leaving New York able to keep Scott Morrow, Jaroslav Chmelar, Matt Rempe and Matthew Robertson on the NHL roster.
Now, with Korpisalo unavailable, that gamble looks even more significant. If the Rangers had known Korpisalo would miss time, Garand likely would have been placed on IR from the start, which would have opened the door for him to make the roster outright.
Instead, the Rangers are fortunate Garand cleared waivers. If he had been lost, Spencer Martin would have been the next man up to back up Shesterkin, a far less appealing option based on his track record.
Korpisalo was acquired from the Boston Bruins this offseason in a trade that sent New York a future fourth-round pick and Kalle Vaisanen. The veteran goalie is being paid $3 million annually.
In Other News...
Rangers Linked To Alexander Nikishin As Bigger Trade Questions Build
Alexander Nikishin has become one of the more interesting names to watch as the trade market starts to take shape around the league, and the Rangers were in the picture once before. Reports say a deal involving Nikishin and New York was explored around the 2026 NHL draft, though it never came together, leaving the defenseman still in Carolina and still looking like a player with a clear market.
The intrigue is only growing now because Nikishin is said to want a change of scenery for more ice time and responsibility, while the Hurricanes have also been working through bigger roster questions of their own. One recent thread has them considering how to use acquired assets in a possible move with the Winnipeg Jets for Connor Hellebuyck, which only adds to the sense that Nikishin could end up part of a much larger shuffle if the right deal emerges. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Need A Different Madison Square Garden This Time
Mike Sullivan did not spend much time looking backward when the Rangers opened the conversation around their home-ice issues from last season. He framed it as a reset, with a new season and a new group, while Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad both sounded optimistic about the clubs chances to defend Madison Square Garden more effectively this time around.
The timing matters, too, because the Rangers do not get much of a warm-up before the home opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. With a busy early schedule ahead, New York is hoping that a better start in its own building can help establish some momentum quickly, especially after a year in which the Garden was too often an advantage in name only. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Already Have An Opening Week Goalie Concern
Opening week has already brought a wrinkle in the Rangers crease. Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and the team has turned to Dylan Garand by recalling him from AHL Hartford. With Igor Shesterkin lined up for the home opener, the immediate burden still sits with the starter, but the depth chart behind him has changed quickly before the season has even settled in.
What makes this more notable is how little clarity there is around the injury itself. Korpisalo has not played this season, and the Rangers have not said how the issue first surfaced, leaving the club to manage a situation that is now being viewed on a week-to-week timeline. Garands call-up at least gives New York another option in the short term, with the schedule moving fast enough that the next crease decision could arrive sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]