Rangers recall goalie Dylan Garand; will he finally see NHL action?
The New York Rangers recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday, meaning that they’ll be carrying three goalies as they continue a brutal grind that will see them play 12 games in 21 days from March 9-29.
The Blueshirts reportedly are a little banged up in goal, though neither starter Igor Shesterkin or backup Jonathan Quick is going on injured reserve. But with the Rangers coming off back-to-back 6-3 losses to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, they decided having a third goaltender available entering home games against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday afternoon and the Ottawa Senators on Monday night.
By bringing up Garand, GM Chris Drury is making sure that there’s a reliable third option available in case any nagging issues facing Shesterkin or Quick become something more serious.
But with the Rangers headed for a second straight non-playoff season, this would appear to be the perfect time to let Garand make his NHL debut. Shesterkin (twice) and Quick (against the Devils) were bombarded in the past week; the Rangers were outshot in each of their past four games – and by double figures in three of the four.
It’s the second callup of the season for Garand; the first came after Quick was banged up in a 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Nov. 22. He also spent time in New York last season backing up Shesterkin, but in neither case did he see game action.
Garand struggled through much of the current season after being an AHL All-Star in 2024-25, when he was 20-10-8 with a 2.73 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and three shutouts for a non-playoff team. The Wolf Pack is last in the Atlantic Division this season and unlikely to make the Calder Cup Playoffs, but Garand has stepped up his game recently, posting a .917 save percentage over his last 10 starts.
For the season, he’s 16-15-2 with a 2.83 GAA and a save percentage of .896 in 36 games. In his four seasons with the Wolf Pack, the 2020 fourth-round pick (No. 103 overall) is 65-57-18 with a 2.90 GAA and a save percentage 0.901.
Quick fell to 5-16-2 with the loss to New Jersey, and the 40-year-old future Hockey Hall of Famer looks like he’s nearing the end of the road. With their playoff hopes gone, there’s no sense in refusing to see what Garand can do at the NHL level – especially because he can become a restricted free agent on July 1.
