Rangers star out with upper-body injury

If there was ever going to be an injury to a starting netminder, it arguably happened at the best possible time for the New York Rangers. Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported that Igor Shesterkin is expected to miss the next week or two with an upper-body injury suffered in Friday night’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

According to a team announcement, New York has recalled netminder Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack, their AHL affiliate. Given that the Rangers had one open roster spot remaining, they didn’t need to make a corresponding transaction or place Shesterkin on injured reserve. 

Aside from a Saturday game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Rangers don’t play again until Feb. 22 due to the 4 Nations Face-Off. The two-week break should give Shesterkin ample time to recover, so he may potentially miss only one game.

The upper-body injury reportedly relates to a scramble in front of Shesterkin during the second period of the game. He tested his right wrist for flexibility but remained in the crease throughout the game, ultimately suffering another loss this season.

Those losses have recently become commonplace for Shesterkin. The 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner is 1-4-0 in his last five starts with a .835 save percentage. Given that he hasn’t had more than two games in a row with a save percentage lower than .900, it’s his worst stretch of the season.

New York is likely hoping the 4 Nations Face-Off break will give Shesterkin the time he needs to fully recover and get his mind right for the remaining 27 games of the regular season. The Rangers’ success this season has typically started and ended with their goaltending.

Garand has received his second call-up of the 2024-25 season, but he has yet to debut in the NHL. The 22-year-old, a product of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers program, is having the best professional season of his brief career. Garand has managed a 12-7-4 record in 23 games with a .913 SV% and 2.68 goals-against average including three shutouts this season.