NY Rangers Created Unnecessary Headache With Goalie Depth

Mar 27, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) is congratulated by goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) after his first career NHL win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NY Rangers Created Unnecessary Headache With Goalie Depth

Originally posted on New York Rangers On SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Jul 28, 2026 1:30 PM ET

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There is no question about who is going to be the No. 1 goaltender for the New York Rangers when the 2026-27 NHL regular season rolls around.

That role is going to undoubtedly be held by Igor Shesterkin, who remains one of the best goalies in the league. While he was critical of his own performance this past campaign, he still finished in the top 10 of most key goaltender statistics despite missing some time because of injury.

While the Rangers weren’t close to a playoff spot, Shesterkin still managed to go 25-19-6 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .912 save percentage, stellar numbers when taking into account how shaky the defensive performance was in front of him.

Locked in as the No. 1, the big question mark on the depth chart would be who the No. 2 goalie would be. In one of the more head-scratching moves of the summer, New York complicated the answer to that question by acquiring Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins.

Rangers have created issue with goalie depth

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Many people expected team president and general manager Chris Drury to bring in a veteran to compete for the job along with Dylan Garand. But acquiring someone owed $3 million and trading away a future draft pick to bring him aboard was not on anyone’s bingo card.

In the process, the Rangers created an unnecessary headache for themselves that could have been easily avoided. Now, they will be dealing with a roster crunch that could require them to make an excruciating decision.

Garand is no longer waiver-exempt. If he isn’t on the NHL roster coming out of training camp and the team tries to assign him to the Hartford Wolf Pack, he will be placed on waivers, which means any team around the league could claim him.

This has created a brutal situation for the young netminder. New York has the cap space to carry three goaltenders, but that would be a detriment to the development of Garand, as it is hard to envision him receiving enough playing time to continue his growth.

Rangers could lose Dylan Garand for nothing

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He needs to get in-game experience, and the only way to do that is by being on the ice. Alas, his playing time could come with a different franchise should the Rangers opt to go the traditional tandem goalie route.

Again, this could have all been avoidable, all the while saving a little more money against the salary cap. Veterans were available in free agency who signed for $1 million, which would have meant saving $2 million and a future fourth-round draft pick.

Add on top of that the possibility of losing a 24-year-old goalie who has been developing well, and the acquisition of Korpisalo becomes all the more of a head-scratching trade.

This article first appeared on New York Rangers On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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