Rangers Daily: Why ‘composed’ Dylan Garand could earn Broadway role
Dylan Garand won’t be between the pipes when the New York Rangers host the Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Their No. 1 goalie, Igor Shesterkin, makes the start.
And who knows if Garand will even finish out the rest of this regular season on the Rangers roster once Jonathan Quick recovers from his latest injury.
But there’s a growing feeling that Garand’s in play down the road to be the regular No. 2 on Broadway, perhaps as early as next season, following his impressive first two starts in the NHL this past week. The 23-year-old stopped 62 of 65 shots in a shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets and 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, earning First Star honors in each game.
And coach Mike Sullivan is clearly impressed.
“I thought Dylan was solid again,” Sullivan said after that win Friday night. “He’s composed, tracks pucks well. He made a couple big saves early in the game. I thought he looked really solid in there and that’s the second game in a row I felt that way. So, it’s two really good starts for him, and I’m happy for him because I know how hard he has worked to get to this point. It’s great for our team. It’s great for our organization.”
Garand played four seasons with Hartford of the American Hockey League and was an AHL All-Star with 20 wins a year ago. But his game was somewhat of a mixed bag this season, and the Rangers opted not to call him up in January, when Shesterkin missed weeks of action with a lower-body injury. Quick struggled with the increased playing time, and veteran Spencer Martin didn’t exactly set the world on fire when in there.
But Garand’s play sharpened recently, so when Quick went down with an injury, the 2020 fourth-round draft pick (No. 103 overall) finally got his chance. And he’s making the most of it, with quite possibly at least another NHL start on the horizon.
“You never really know if a player’s going to have success at the NHL level until you try him. … I think in particular with goaltenders that is very much the case,” Sullivan explained. “I think in Dylan’s case, his first two starts here have been really solid. As a coach on the bench with your goalie sometimes you get a sense of whether he has a calm demeanor and has control of the game … the feeling I’ve gotten from the bench in his two starts is that he is completely in control and has good composure in there.”
That bodes well for Garand and the Rangers, both now and in the near future. There’s a good chance that this is the end of a Hall-of-Fame career for Quick, who turned 40 in January. And the Rangers likely prefer having one of their own ride shotgun with Shesterkin than signing a free agent backup this offseason.
We’ll see where it goes. But Garand’s certainly opened plenty of eyes this past week.
Rangers news and analysis
It’s a Sunday matinee at The Garden, with the Rangers hosting the Florida Panthers. Our John Kreiser has the game preview and key storylines.
Our Tom Castro dives into how Alexis Lafreniere’s production is on the rise as he actually shoots the puck more. Imagine that!
Let’s take a closer look at a memorable NHL debut for rookie Rangers defenseman Drew Fortescue on Friday night.
ICYMI: here are the key takeaways after the Rangers hammered the Blackhawks.
NHL news and rumors
TSN: William Nylander admitted how tough it is for him that the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t make the playoffs this season. But the star forward added that he’s going to keep most of his thoughts to himself, perhaps a hint that he’s not happy with some things going on around the team.
The Athletic: An excellent piece from Harman Dayal, exploring the goaltending crisis in the NHL.
Daily Faceoff: The Seattle Kraken may have a Shane Wright problem. The center sustained an unspecified injury and left their game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman broke down what’s next for three key NHL prospects — Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, and Jonathan Castagna — now that their respective seasons ended this past week.
New York Post: The Islanders scored a season-high five goals in one period to defeat the Panthers 5-2.
Montreal Hockey Now: Jacob Fowler shutout. Cole Caufield’s 45th goal. Ivan Demidov scores again. It all added up to the Canadiens’ fourth straight win, 4-0 over the Nashville Predators. Marc Dumont’s got the key takeaways.
Daily Faceoff: The Boston Bruins signed NCAA free agent goalie Max Lundgren from Merrimack College to an entry-level contract Sunday morning.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each remain out day to day for the Penguins due to injuries; and Dan Kingerski breaks down Pittsburgh’s 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars.
New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils started strong then fell flat in a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Pat Pickens has all the details of another failed effort in a season full of them for New Jersey.
