The New York Rangers have to be thanking their lucky stars that netminder Dylan Garand floated through waivers, unclaimed, earlier this season.
The organization dodged a bullet when Garand was around to fill in for Joonas Korpisalo. The team avoided a massive meltdown when the 24-year-old was ready to step in as the starter following Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury.
But as insider Elliotte Friedman revealed, the Rangers almost lost Garand on waivers.
During Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman indicated that a source revealed to him that a team was looking to claim Garand, however, the source would not mention the team.
“Somebody told me that there was a team that was really thinking about it, too… there was definitely a team that thought about it.”
Whatever that team was, the Rangers were extremely fortunate it decided to pass on Dylan Garand.
The question, of course, is what that mystery team is. It would have to be a team that had a need for a goaltender, and one that could take a flyer on giving playing time to a rookie goalie.
Given how circumstances unfolded, there is one team that seems to fit the description.
Jets Could Have Been Mystery Team Looking into Dylan Garand
The Winnipeg Jets seem to be the team that could have looked into claiming Dylan Garand. There are two reasons for that assertion.
First, the Jets needed a goalie to back up Stuart Skinner. They plucked one off the waiver wire by landing Clay Stevenson from the Washington Capitals. It’s worth noting that move occurred on September 27.
The Rangers, for their part, placed Garand on waivers on September 27. So, it seems that the Jets were looking at choosing either Stevenson or Garand, with Stevenson being the guy.
Now, one has to think what would have happened if the Jets had chosen Dylan Garand instead of Stevenson. On the one hand, Garand would have certainly gotten plenty of playing time in Winnipeg. On the other hand, the Jets were most likely looking for a goalie with a little more experience. Stevenson certainly has much more, albeit at the AHL level.
And that determining factor is what could have spared the Rangers from losing their now-starting goaltender.
Could Rangers Still Be Looking at a Trade?
Ultimately, Friedman shot down the idea of the Rangers making a trade for a goalie. He doubled down on nixing the idea of Connor Hellebuyck heading to Broadway. While the insider believes that it would be a good idea to land Hellebuyck and then figure out what to do with both Hellebuyck and Shesterkin in the offseason, it’s not something that’s really in the cards, particularly with Dylan Garand in the mix.
However, there’s one factor that might sway things: If the Rangers keep playing well, the organization might be compelled to go ahead and make a move like acquiring Hellebuyck just because ownership wants to give the team a real chance to win.
That’s why the idea of New York making a goalie trade is not quite dead and buried, as implausible as it seems at the moment.
Dylan Garand Almost Claimed by Unknown Team, Friedman Says