Dustin Tokarski
Dustin Tokarski should be a familiar name for Rangers fans. He is the backup goaltender that stepped in for Carey Price in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. Chris Kreider infamously ran into Price in game one, injuring Price and taking him out of the series.
Tokarski is the backup candidate with the most NHL experience. His 34 NHL games slightly surpasses Mazanec’s 31. However, he is the smallest of the three candidates at 6 feet.
His career save percentage is .904, and he has a career goals-against average of 2.84.
The Rangers clearly were not satisfied with just Mazanec and Georgiev competing for the backup spot. Tokarski stayed strong in net for the Canadiens during that 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, despite eventually losing the series. He is just a bit more of a proven player to backup Lundqvist for 30 or more games.
Although Tokarski did not play in the NHL last season, he had a solid season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. In 39 AHL games, he recorded a save percentage of .915 and a goals-against average of 2.65. He even earned an assist as well.
Tokarski’s signing signals that he is probably the Rangers’ top backup candidate at the moment. He can play in the NHL while Mazanec and Georgiev get more reps in the AHL and continue to develop.