The Rangers goaltending situation isn’t going to disappear from headlines any time soon. No matter how Dylan Garand plays, there will always be questions about whether the Rangers can improve. With Igor Shesterkin done for the season and Joonas Korpisalo out another few weeks, this is Garand’s net with Spencer Martin as his backup. Garand has carried the load quite well, putting up a .910 SV% since Shesterkin’s injury, with the blowout loss to the Devils weighing that number down significantly. Yet the Rangers goaltending situation is still hanging around.
Rangers goaltending situation does depend on Garand
1. Garand’s .910 save percentage is right where we want him to be. Even weighed down by the Devils game, Garand has been excellent and has given the Rangers some breathing room to make decisions. Generally speaking, Garand simply needs to be league average, around a .905 SV%, to keep the Rangers in games. He’s done that through the first two weeks after the Shesterkin injury. With the way the Rangers defend as a whole, he should be able to keep that .910 SV%. Of course the Rangers defense needs to stay solid, but that’s a whole separate concern right now.
2. As long as Garand plays like this, the Rangers probably don’t need to go out and get a starter. But we do need to account for the situation where he falters. We know Martin isn’t it. It’s highly unlikely Korpisalo will be any better. That’s where the trade for a starter begins to shape the Rangers goaltending situation. James Reimer was just signed to a PTO with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and though he’s likely not supplanting Garand as the starter, he could be another option for the backup spot if Korpisalo falters.
Worst case scenario, Reimer isn’t it and gets released. Best case scenario, he’s the NHL backup. Most likely scenario, he’s the AHL backup, as Hartford’s goaltending depth has been gutted by the current Rangers goaltending situation.
3. But what if the Rangers need to go out and trade for a starter? Connor Hellebuyck isn’t it and it makes little sense to add more drama to the Rangers goaltending situation with Hellebuyck’s long term contract. The Rangers goaltending situation doesn’t warrant a big contract like that. They would need a rental, which not only addresses the goalie need this year without adding drama, but costs significantly less. Rental goalies rarely get much in trades.
There are a bunch of starters of varying quality that could be had: Jordan Binnington (STL), John Gibson (DET), and Darcy Kuemper (LAK) lead the pack among teams currently in the bottom three in their respective divisions. There are other names out there, but it’s too early in the season to determine who might truly become available.
The backup spot is the concern
4. Even before the season began, the Ranger goaltending situation had some backup goalie drama. The Rangers got lucky when they waived Garand and he cleared. Korpisalo had a decent enough camp to “beat” Garand for the backup spot in camp, but we haven’t seen if he will be able to hold the spot for the season. If so, then great. The Rangers won’t need to waste assets on a goalie to get them to the finish line this season. If not, then the Rangers are looking at a backup goalie. Cheaper, but less predictable.
5. Again Reimer was likely brought in to be backup insurance on Korpisalo when he returns. But should both falter, then Reimer will get cut and the Rangers will begin a search for a backup goalie. Backups are certainly easier to come by and should at least cost less than the starters mentioned above. No real point in going through the backups, as too many names would help address the Rangers goaltending situation and we’d just be throwing darts right now.
The Rangers have time
6. The Rangers goaltending situation doesn’t need to be addressed right now. Garand’s play has bought them significant time, especially since he rebounded after the Devils game with an absurd performance against Columbus last night in the overtime loss. It seems Mike Sullivan and Chris Drury are content letting the Rangers goaltending situation play out for a little bit.
While the Rangers goaltending situation is getting the headlines, the need to adjust a bit both on offense (get more actual shots on net) and on defense (the defense pairs need a rework) is more of a priority. Garand has bought time. Now it’s Sully’s turn to meet him halfway.
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