The New York Rangers will need some luck not to lose multiple youngsters to the waiver wire this fall. General manager Chris Drury revamped a significant chunk of his roster this summer. New York’s top exec brought in Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi, Marcus Pettersson, and Oliver Bjorkstrand during the offseason. He also acquired goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in a trade with the Boston Bruins.
Drury’s decision to add Korpisalo was particularly interesting. After all, the trade occurred 10 days after the Rangers re-signed fellow netminder Dylan Garand. New York rewarded their top goalie prospect with a two-year, $1.75 million contract. With superstar Igor Shesterkin the undisputed starter between the pipes, Korpisalo and Garand are expected to compete for the backup role.
Drury and the New York Rangers would ideally like to keep Garand in the organization. Nevertheless, they may have to send him through waivers if they opt to make Korpisalo the backup. If so, The Athletic’s Thomas Drance believes other teams, particularly the Vancouver Canucks, will target Garand. “A Victoria, B.C. native, the 24-year-old should be a priority addition if the Rangers expose him this fall,” Drance said of the Rangers netminder.
Garand has impressed with the Hartford Wolf Pack over the last two seasons. He posted a 2.72 GAA and .913 save rate during the 2024-25 season and a 2.83 GAA and .896 save rate this past season. The goalie was even better in his three-game cameo with New York earlier this spring.
New York Rangers Hopeful to Keep Dylan Garand, Vincent Iorio
Unfortunately for the New York Rangers, Garand is not the only young player who could soon depart the team. Drance also believes that defenseman Vincent Iorio may be claimed off waivers. “[Iorio] is a really gifted passer and is also a 6-3 righty with a lot of NHL experience for a 23-year-old defenseman,” continues the writer.
As Drance points out, Scott Morrow (also waivers eligible) could essentially block Iorio’s place on the Rangers roster. As of now, New York has plenty of options on the right side of the blue line. This list includes Adam Fox, Braden Schneider, Durzi, and Morrow. Iorio is not necessarily considered a top prospect within the Rangers organization. The 23-year-old defenseman, however, has already played 36 NHL games.
The former Washington Capitals second-round pick in 2021 was also previously twice claimed off waivers last season. Iorio was initially claimed by the San Jose Sharks in October before eventually being picked up by the New York Rangers in January. New York just agreed to a new one-year deal with the defenseman on August 21.
New York May Attempt to Temporarily Keep Three Goalies
Losing potential NHL-ready players via waivers is never fun for teams. For the New York Rangers, potentially having to part ways with Garand would sting the most. In fact, many Rangers fans were not exactly thrilled with Drury’s Korpisalo move, with the prospect already in place as the potential backup. The former Bruin posted a 3.15 GAA and .894 save rate in Boston last season.
Nevertheless, Drury and the Rangers do have some time to figure things out. Although not ideal, New York could even carry three goals to start the 2026-27 campaign.
Rangers Risk Losing Two Prized Prospects Before Season Starts