Rangers face ‘tricky situation’ with 3 goalies after Korpisalo trade
Like many hockey people, Dave Maloney expected the New York Rangers to bring in a veteran goalie to compete with Dylan Garand for the right be Igor Shesterkin’s backup next season. What he didn’t anticipate was the Rangers making such a significant acquisition, and possibly taking Garand out of the running altogether.
The Rangers acquired Joonas Korpisalo in a trade with the Boston Bruins on July 1. Korpisalo is 32 years old, has 334 games of NHL experience, and was Boston’s No. 2 behind Jeremy Swayman the past two seasons.
Oh, and he has two years remaining on his contract with an annual salary cap hit of $3 million.
“I was only surprised at the financial commitment,” Maloney told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “Now, the cap is rising, the Rangers have cap space, and you’re getting a guy with experience.”
That doesn’t exactly set up in a good way for Garand, the 24-year-old who many feel deserves the chance to be No. 2 on New York’s depth chart after an impressive three-game NHL cameo late last season and four years in the American Hockey League.
“Does he deserve a chance at the next level, and is three games enough?,” offered the former Rangers captain and longtime analyst on MSG Network. “He certainly was electric the way he played. It was down the stretch, but I loved his style, has some panache to his game. He reminds me of Marc-Andre Fleury. The mannerisms, he darts the corner like Fleury.
“I guess the thing is, three games down the stretch in a tossed-in-the-towel season, has he earned that chance for a 30-game backup role?”
Joonas Korpisalo trade makes Rangers three deep at goalie position
Garand earned high praise from coach Mike Sullivan and his teammates, including Shesterkin, after posting a 2-0-1 record, 1.62 goals-against average, and .948 save percentage in his first three NHL starts from March 22 – April 15. A restricted free agent with arbitration rights entering the offseason, Garand also earned a two-year, $1.75 million contract that he signed June 21.
There’s no question Garand believes he’s ready for regular NHL duty. The 2020 fourth-round pick (No. 103 overall) participated in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic and won 20 games for Hartford that season. And he overcame a slow start this past season and played his best hockey before his recall by the Rangers, allowing two goals or fewer in eight of his final nine starts for an awful Hartford team that finished last in the AHL standings.
But is it his fate to return to the minors now that Korpisalo is also in the organization? Some wonder if the Rangers start out with three goalies on the roster — they have the cap space to do so — before settling on Shesterkin’s backup.
That is an option, considering Garand and Koripsalo each require waivers before being assigned to Hartford. More likely is that Korpisalo sticks with the varsity on Opening Night, and the Rangers hope Garand is unclaimed on the waiver wire and then handles a heavy workload as the No. 1 goalie, again, in Hartford.
“A three goaltender rotation never works. There’s only two nets at practice,” Maloney stated. “So, that’s going to be a bit of a tricky situation I think, how that plays out.”
Of course, the Carolina Hurricanes just won the Stanley Cup after receiving contributions from three goalies this past season. Brandon Bussi (39), Frederik Andersen (35), and Pyotr Kochetkov (8) each started games in the regular season, though most of the time only two of the goalies were healthy at one time. So, they didn’t necessarily plan to carry three goaltenders nor use a three-goalie rotation.
But there is a lesson to be learned from the Hurricanes. Having at least three NHL-worthy netminders in the system is crucial, and the Rangers have that now. Last season, when Shesterkin missed significant time with a lower-body injury, his backup Jonathan Quick, who retired at season’s end at the age of 40, was a shell of his former self and couldn’t bear the weight as the temporary No. 1 goaltender. And next in line was Spencer Martin, a journeyman with some NHL experience, who fell flat when recalled from Hartford.
The Rangers didn’t believe Garand was NHL-ready at that time, perhaps a misread on their part. But now, assuming Garand clears waivers, the Rangers are three goalies deep to protect against injury at the NHL level.
Since the start of 2019-20, Korpisalo played fewer than 30 games just twice in seven seasons, with a high of 55 as the Ottawa Senators No. 1 goalie in 2023-24. In 31 games (28 starts) last season with the Bruins, Korpisalo was 14-9-6 with a 3.15 GAA and .894 save percentage. Per MoneyPuck, the veteran tied for 49th among NHL goalies with minus-1.00 goals saved above expected.
As for Garand, he very well is pissed about these latest developments. But Maloney offered some sage advice.
“Dylan Garand has to play himself mentally and physically into that belief that ‘I am an NHL goaltender’ regardless if on Opening Night it’s Shesterkin and Korpisalo.”
