Dylan Garand was supposed to be a starting netminder in the AHL. Well, that changed in a hurry.
The New York Rangers had already sent the rookie goalie down, choosing Joonas Korpisalo as Igor Shesterkin‘s backup, effectively placing Garand on waivers before assigning him to Hartford. The former fourth-round pick cleared, but less than a week later, Korpisalo suffered a lower-body injury, and promptly hit the shelf.
That opened the door for Garand to return.
And he didn’t just walk through it; he broke it down with a sledgehammer.
Dylan Garand stopped all 22 shots he faced Friday night as the Rangers shut out the Detroit Red Wings 2-0. It was the first shutout of his NHL career and came at the best possible time for the Blueshirts.
Suddenly, the Rangers now find themselves facing a sort of different conundrum.
And there should be no rush to get Korpisalo back, as New York’s rookie netminder has made things very interesting in the crease at MSG.
Rangers Could Let Korpisalo Take His Time
Korpisalo is considered week-to-week with his lower-body injury, meaning the Rangers have no reason to push him back into the lineup.
And that could create an interesting opportunity.
New York now has a 24-year-old goalie who has already shown he can handle NHL action. Dylan Garand went 2-0-1 with a .948 save percentage in three appearances last season, and he just added a shutout to that résumé.
Meanwhile, there are teams around the NHL that could desperately use another option.
The Edmonton Oilers entered the season with Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi while Frederik Andersen continues to recover from a knee injury. Levi then allowed seven goals on 22 shots against Vancouver on Thursday.
Winnipeg has an even more obvious problem with Connor Hellebuyck’s future still unresolved. The Jets have turned to Stuart Skinner and recently claimed Clay Stevenson off waivers.
Korpisalo could suddenly become an interesting trade chip for a team looking for experienced goaltending.
The Rangers don’t need to make that decision today.
But Dylan Garand’s emergence gives them another reason to consider it.
Rangers Have to Be Careful With Dylan Garand
There is another complication to this entire conversation.
The Rangers can send Garand back to Hartford because he cleared waivers on Sept. 28. But that flexibility does not last indefinitely. Under the NHL’s waiver rules, a player who has cleared can generally be sent back without another waiver claim until he has played 10 games or spent 30 days on the NHL roster.
That means the Rangers have to manage Dylan Garand with kid gloves.
They can give him starts while Korpisalo recovers. They can also decide that Garand has earned a longer look.
But once that 10-game threshold approaches, the equation changes.
If New York ultimately wants to return Garand to Hartford without exposing him again, it cannot simply keep playing him indefinitely.
That makes the next few weeks fascinating.
Ultimately, Dylan Garand just made the decision to send him down much harder.
And if he keeps playing like he did against Detroit, the Rangers might eventually decide that Korpisalo is the expendable piece instead.
Dylan Garand Just Made Joonas Korpisalo Expendable