Rangers Daily: Pros/cons of Dylan Garand recall; Devils GM opens up
Three months ago when the NHL season began, I never would’ve thought we’d be weighing the pros and cons of playing Dylan Garand over Jonathan Quick in the middle of January. Yet that’s where we’re at with the New York Rangers these days.
The Rangers (20-22-6) are an absolute mess, and it’s only exacerbated by Igor Shesterkin’s absence from the lineup. They’ve lost four straight in regulation since their No. 1 goalie landed on IR with a lower-body injury, outscored by a whopping 27-10 margin. Approaching his 40th birthday, Quick’s lost his game at the wrong time, overplaying his position out of desperation, and appearing slow with both the glove-hand and blocker.
It’s not all Quick’s fault, though. The Rangers lost their sound defensive structure weeks ago, maybe longer. It’s just worse now without steady defenseman Adam Fox, who’s sidelined along with Shesterkin. Talk about brutal 1-2 punches.
So, should the Rangers recall Garand, their top goalie prospect, from Hartford of the American Hockey League? Let’s weigh some quick (no pun intended) pros and cons of doing so, keeping in mind that the 23-year-old shouldn’t be looked upon as a savior for the last-place Rangers.
The biggest reason to call Garand up and start him over the three-time Stanley Cup champion and winningest United States-born goalie in NHL history is to see if he’s actually a viable option to back up Shesterkin in the near future, likely beginning next season. Sure, the Rangers want to settle things down and win some games to somehow hang in the race for a playoff spot, and it sure looks like Quick can use a break, at least a mental one, right now. But let’s not kid ourselves. If Garand makes his NHL debut Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers or anytime soon thereafter, it’s more about the future than the present.
Before the Rangers make any decisions on who lands the No. 2 role on Broadway next season, you’d think they need to, you know, actually see Garand play in the NHL. This is, after all, his fourth season as a pro.
And who knows, maybe the Rangers would actually tighten up a bit defensively knowing they have an untested kid back there between the pipes?
The list of cons starts with the fact that Garand hasn’t exactly played his best this season. It’s not like he’s banging down the door for this opportunity. The 2025 AHL All-Star allowed 11 goals in his past two starts and owns a 2.99 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in 19 games with Hartford this season.
Also, with the ship sinking in New York, is this the right time to give Garand his first NHL opportunity? The pressure feels great. Though the upcoming four-game trip might be best time to get Garand in there, considering the Rangers have 15 wins on the road and only five on home ice at Madison Square Garden.
Then there’s Quick. He’s a highly-respected leader in the Rangers room, and an extremely proud competitor with a Hall-of-Fame resume. It’s worth questioning how benching him in favor of an untested rookie would go over with Quick and his teammates.
The Rangers must do what they feel is right, but this could get messy. Remember how the Rangers bungled other similar calls last season with respected veterans like Barclay Goodrow, Jacob Trouba, and Chris Kreider. It didn’t go well. Hopefully they learned how to handle things better, if they go this route.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Here are our key Rangers takeaways after that 8-4 loss to the Senators, including Gabe Perreault actually providing us something positive to write about.
So, how exactly did the Rangers end up where they are now, a second straight massively disappointing season? Our John Kreiser dissects why their failures at the draft table and developing prospects is at the heart of the Rangers issues.
Quick didn’t want to give any time to the topic when asked about it, but the Rangers home/road disparity is a real thing, as much mental as it is physical.
NHL news and rumors
New Jersey Hockey Now: Before his team went out and defeated the Seattle Kraken on a Nico Hischier overtime goal, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald met with the media to discuss a variety of topics from this soap opera of a season in Newark. James Nichols does a great job breaking it all down here with his takeaways
Montreal Hockey Now: Marc Dumont breaks down the two-year, $5 million contract extension signed by forward Alexandre Texier and how it impacts the Canadiens moving forward.
TSN: How about this hat trick of brutal news for the Winnipeg Jets: defensemen Neal Pionk, Haydn Fleury, and Colin Miller are all out week to week with injuires.
Philly Hockey Now: Not only did the Flyers lose their fourth straight game Wednesday, but they lost goalie Dan Vladar to an unspecified injury in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres.
Daily Faceoff: Equally as important from that game in Buffalo, Sabres forward Josh Norris exited early with an upper-body injury.
Sportsnet: Eric Francis examines why now’s the time for the Calgary Flames to trade pending UFA defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
