Rangers Assign Joonas Korpisalo On Conditioning Stint

According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the New York Rangers will assign netminder Joonas Korpisalo to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack on a conditioning loan. Korpisalo, 32, has been recovering from a lower-body injury and foot infection suffered at the beginning of the season. The Wolf Pack later confirmed the transaction.

Because Korpisalo is on the injured reserve, not the long-term injured reserve, the conditioning loan’s duration is governed by Section 13.8 of the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, not Section 13.9. Section 13.8 stipulates that a standard conditioning loan may last up to 14 consecutive days while keeping the player on the active NHL roster and payroll. In contrast, Section 13.9 states that the LTIR conditioning loan may last up to six days or three games, whichever comes first (teams may request two additional games).

In their last official update on Korpisalo’s recovery, the Rangers announced on October 10th that the 12-year netminder was expected to miss another four weeks. After Walker’s update this morning, Korpisalo is keeping pace with his recovery timeline. His prospective return couldn’t come at a better time for New York.

The Rangers were dealt a massive blow in early October when netminder Igor Shesterkin was ruled out for the rest of the 2026-27 campaign with a right knee injury. Before the ailment, Shesterkin had a .927 SV% and 1.79 GAA in five games. Already without Korpisalo at that point, New York turned to untested Dylan Garand to backstop the team. A few weeks later, the Rangers signed veteran James Reimer as insurance.

Initially, Garand showed immense fortitude and promise, earning a 3-1-1 record with a .917 SV% in his first five games as New York’s new starting netminder. However, in his next five starts, Garand’s productivity decreased, managing a 1-4-0 record with an .877 SV% (though he had a phenomenal effort against the St. Louis Blues last night).

At the very least, returning Korpisalo will afford Garand better load management if New York plans to keep him as the team’s starter for the foreseeable future. Before this season, Garand had appeared in only three NHL games.

Before the Rangers acquired him this past summer, Korpisalo spent the previous two seasons with the Boston Bruins, backing up Jeremy Swayman. He was serviceable, managing a 25-19-9 record in 58 games with a .894 SV%, 3.03 GAA, and -5.7 Goals Saved Above Average.