Who can the New York Rangers sign to back up Igor Shesterkin next season?
The New York Rangers will be looking for a new back up goalie next season.
Alexandar Georgiev has expressed a desire for more playing time and a chance at a starter’s role dating back to this past offseason. Plus, the pending RFA with arbitration rights is due a qualifying offer of $2.425 Million which is equal to his current salary.
That’s probably about $925K to $1.425M more than they want to spend for a backup goalie. Per CapFriendly, the Rangers will have approximately $11.7M in cap space with 16 players under contract.
It isn’t much to work with, especially if you want to re-sign Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, and Tyler Motte. Did I mention that Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Strome need new deals? That’s why you can quickly see the need to spend only about $1M to $1.5M on a backup.
New York Rangers back up goalie options
While the Rangers likely have a very small budget for a new back up goalie, they also want a goalie that can handle playing 1 game every 1.5 to 2 weeks. That usually means a veteran as the best option.
Here’s a list of five quality goalies that may fit the Blueshirts needs.
Thomas Greiss: Detroit Red Wings, 36 years-old (2021-22: 8-11-1-0, 2.79 GAA, .885 SV%)
My favorite candidate to backup Igor Shesterkin is Greiss. Ever hear of the saying, ‘if you can’t beat em’? Well, the Rangers can’t beat Greiss.
In his career, he’s 6-0-1 with a .931 SV% and a 2.44 GAA against the Blueshirts.
Craig Anderson: Buffalo Sabres, 40 years-old (2021-22: 12-9-2-0, 3.07 GAA, .902 SV%)
In my mind, a backup needs to be a battler and there’s no one more battle-tested than Craig Anderson. While the Sabres have improved this season, he deserves a lot of credit for whatever success Buffalo has had this season.
The Sabres are reportedly interested in bringing him back.
Jaroslav Halak: Vancouver Canucks, 36 years-old (2021-22: 3-7-2-0, 3.18 GAA, .894 SV%)
Halak knows what life is like playing in the Eastern Conference and has gone to war with the Rangers over the years as a member of the Islanders and Bruins.
He can still play and post decent numbers as a backup as he barely gets playing time with Thatcher Demko in front of him.
Casey DeSmith: Pittsburgh Penguins, 30 years-old (2021-22: 6-4-4-2, 2.96 GAA, .905 SV%)
Another goalie the Rangers should be familiar with is Penguins backup DeSmith. He’s currently making $1.250 Million against the cap and even a little raise keeps him in the sweet spot.
Keith Kinkaid: New York Rangers, 32 years-old (2021-22: 1-0-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .935 SV%)
The best and possibly cheapest option is extending current Wolf Pack goalie Kinkaid.
A small increase from his current $825K cap hit would be perfect and he’s proven that he can do the backup role well in New York.
NHL Rumors
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