The Rangers will open a long stretch without Igor Shesterkin on Sunday, when the Vancouver Canucks come into Madison Square Garden. The New York starter suffered a season-ending lower-body injury Friday in Washington, leaving rookie Dylan Garand with the crease for what is expected to be the foreseeable future.
Shesterkin’s injury ends his season with 78 regular-season games still on the Rangers’ schedule. The club has not disclosed further details of the injury, but the impact reaches well beyond the save column.
Quick facts
- New York hosts Vancouver on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
- Dylan Garand is set to take over in goal while Joonas Korpisalo remains out week to week with a lower-body injury.
- Garand owns a 3-1-0 NHL record in five appearances, with a 1.31 goals-against average, .954 save percentage and one shutout.
- Shesterkin had already recorded a goal and an assist this season.
- Garand blanked Detroit with 22 saves on Oct. 2 and stopped 11 of 12 shots after replacing Shesterkin in Friday’s 3-1 loss at Washington.
Captain J.T. Miller said the room understands the assignment: every Ranger has to cover more ground now. He called Shesterkin one of the pillars of both the club and the organization, a loss felt as much in the dressing room as in the net.
“Everybody knows what has to happen,” Miller said. “Everyone has to carry a little more weight.”
Garand arrives at this chance with strong early NHL results, but not without questions around his standing in the organization. The Rangers acquired Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins on July 1, then placed Garand on waivers shortly before the opener in Boston with the intention of assigning him to AHL Hartford.
He cleared, meaning no other NHL club put in a claim. But Korpisalo sustained a lower-body injury that has him sidelined on a week-to-week timeline, and Garand was promptly recalled.
Coach Mike Sullivan said the waiver decision should not be mistaken for a lack of faith in the 23-year-old netminder. Roster business can force difficult calls, Sullivan said, and Garand now has the opportunity he has been seeking.
Garand said Saturday that he is “very ready,” adding that his previous path has left him with a chip on his shoulder. His work has backed up that confidence in limited action.
In three starts last season, Garand went 2-0-1 with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage. This season, he made the most of his Detroit start with a 22-save shutout in a 2-0 victory, then entered in relief after Shesterkin was hurt in Washington.
Sullivan sees a calm belief in Garand’s game. The coach said the rookie knows he can play at this level and knows the staff views him as capable, even after the difficult roster choice made before the season.
The Rangers, however, will have to adjust their entire defensive rhythm without Shesterkin. He is among the league’s most dangerous puck-handling goaltenders, frequently getting to dump-ins before forecheckers and turning retrievals into clean breakouts for New York.
That part of his game can dictate where opponents put the puck and how aggressively they pursue it. With a different goalie behind them, Rangers defensemen will need sharper calls and earlier support.
Sean Durzi said opponents may alter their approach because Shesterkin’s puck play is so exceptional. He said clear communication with Garand will be central, particularly on plays where Shesterkin might previously have made an unexpected outlet pass.
“You make the call for the goalie,” Durzi said. “Make it easy for him, make it early, and get to your spot.”
There will be time for Garand and the blue line to build that familiarity, but there is no easing into the reality of the situation. Shesterkin is not expected back this season, and New York’s response begins against the Canucks.
Sullivan said losing an elite player cannot be fully offset by one replacement. The Rangers’ path is to lean on the players available, seize the opportunities created by the injury and control their reaction to it.
