The New York Rangers were thrust into an extremely uncomfortable situation in the early goings-on of the 2026-27 NHL campaign with the loss of franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the remainder of the season.
Shesterkin was hurt earlier this month during a contest against the divisional rival Washington Capitals while scrambling to get back into the net; he fell into the post awkwardly and immediately fell back in obvious pain, and needed help getting off the ice, unable to put any weight on his leg.
In the meantime, the Rangers are moving forward for now with goaltender Dylan Garand as their starter because of the injury to backup Joonas Korpisalo. But what are the chances that they could be targeting a Western Conference goalie?
The New York Rangers Have Been Linked To Utah Mammoth Goaltender Karel Vejmelka
According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, one of the two goaltenders that the Rangers are currently scouting is Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth, along with Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen of the divisional rival Buffalo Sabres.
“Vejmelka and Luukkonen are two of the guys they’ve scouted,” Friedman said.
Additionally, Friedman threw out the name of current Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ville Husso as a potential name that goaltending scout Scott Clemmensen was looking at.
“I heard he was in Calgary last week when Anaheim was there,” he said. “So, he was maybe looking at (Ville Husso), but the Ducks don’t have a lot of depth in goal. So, I don’t know if I see that.”
Whether or not the Rangers decide to pull the trigger on a trade to acquire goaltending depth, or rather let Garand hold the starter’s reins until Korpisalo is healthy enough to return remains to be seen.
Dylan Garand Has Played Well For The Rangers So Far
Garand’s most recent performance helped the Rangers remain undefeated at home thanks to their victory at Madison Square Garden over the visiting Anaheim Ducks, prompting praise from coach Mike Sullivan.
“I’ve been asked the question a number of times, what do we expect from Dylan? And my expectation, just based on his body of work here, is that he’s going to win, he’s going to make saves for us, he’s going to make timely saves,” Sullivan said. “He’s given us a chance to win night in and night out, and that’s what we’re asking of him.”
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