When the New York Rangers kicked off their 2026-27 campaign, things looked promising. There was hope.
But just a few short days into the regular season, their longtime netminder Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending injury.
Under less-than-ideal conditions, 24-year-old Dylan Garand had no choice but to step up.
And what an impressive sight he’s been.
Rangers Write New Chapter With Dylan Garand
The weight Garand has carried this season was completely unexpected, much like an understudy stepping in for an absent actor.
The NHL is the equivalent of a Broadway stage — not a high school auditorium. The spotlight is brighter, the audience is larger and the margin for error is microscopic.
But unlike an understudy, Garand hasn’t had time to learn his “lines.”
The NHL stage waits for no one.
Garand’s season hasn’t been flawless, but all things considered, he’s telling the story of a young star capitalizing on unforeseen opportunities.
As detailed in New York’s pregame notes from Nov. 5,
“Dylan Garand earned his fifth win of the season and posted a single-game season-high of 32 saves on Nov. 3,” the organization pointed out. “He has posted a win in four of his five starts at home. This season, he has allowed one or fewer goals in a game five times, tied for the second-most games among all NHL goaltenders.
“Among all netminders with at least five games played at home this season, he ranks second with a 1.97 goals against average and third with a .927 save percentage.”
While he isn’t entirely squared away, the chapter he’s writing with the Rangers is defining and, hopefully, transformative.
Garand’s NHL Career in a Nutshell
This is only Garand’s second season in the league. He’s appeared in 15 career games — three in 2025-26 and 12 in 2026-27.
Heading into the Rangers’ Thursday night clash with the Philadelphia Flyers, he owns a 2.57 GAA and a .905 SV% through his 12 appearances, starting 10.
New York selected him with the No. 10 pick in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL draft.
His ability to bounce back this season shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s a young gun trying to carve out a path for himself on the big stage.
His latest performance against the St. Louis Blues was particularly striking.
As Mike Sullivan stated, per John Flanigan of SNY, “I think that was an important one for him. He’s had a lot of really good starts for us; he’s also had a really heavy workload as well — he wanted to bounce back and have a solid night for the group, and he did.”
He has the tools, but knowing when and how to use them consistently will be key moving forward.
New York Rangers’ Dylan Garand Surge Tells Striking Story