Rangers potential trade options: Goalies

The New York Rangers can thank Igor Shesterkin for their early season success, but Shesterkin can’t start every game and one of the worst possible things has happened. Shesterkin went down with a lower body injury last night. With Shesterkin’s injury the Rangers will now rely on Alexandar Georgiev and recently called up Adam Huska.

Gerogiev’s struggles from last year have reared their ugly head again this season. Huska and Georgiev have a real shot to prove themselves and keep their spot on the roster, however if both struggle the Rangers do have some alternatives via the trade market.

The Malcolm Subban impact

Just two days ago the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres made a trade involving Malcolm Subban. So while the Rangers can’t make a trade for him, he is important because of what he was traded for. The Blackhawks received future considerations from Buffalo. Subban hasn’t played a game this year due to Chicago’s current tandem of Marc-Andre Fleury and Kevin Lankinen, so it will be interesting to see how this sets the goalie trade market.

The Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars have a very interesting goalie situation. Currently the team is carrying three goaltenders in Braden Holtby, Anton Khudobin, and Jake Oettinger. The also have Ben Bishop stashed away on LTIR. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan once Ben Bishop is healthy the Stars will look to move one of their goalies.

Of the three, I think that Jake Oettinger is the least likely to be moved because he’s their future number one at just 23 years old.

Anton Khudobin is probably the odd man out due to his struggles this season. He’s 3-3-1 with .873 Save Percentage (Sv%) and a 3.73 Goals Against Average (GAA). We know what he’s capable of, as he is only two seasons removed from taking the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final, but currently isn’t an upgrade over Georgiev and his 2-1-1 record and .867 Sv% and 3.89 GAA.

I think that the best fit for the Rangers is Braden Holtby. As weird as it would be to see Holtby in a Blueshirts sweater he is having a bounce back year with the Stars. While the record isn’t there at 4-4-1 he currently has a .927 Sv% and only a 2.30 GAA. Holtby is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Joonas Korpisalo

Joonas Korpisalo looks to be on the outs in Columbus. In September the Blue Jackets signed Elvis Merzlinkins to a five-year $27 million extension. Korpisalo is an unrestricted free agent at seasons end but has struggled. The 27 year old currently is on IR and has a 3-4-0 record with a .885 Sv% and 3.95 GAA. Similar to Anton Khudobin, Joonas Korpislao has struggled this season. For Korpisalo, maybe a fresh start would help him but like Khudobin unless he starts playing better, he’s not an upgrade over Georgiev.

Jaroslav Halak

Jaroslav Halak has been a very good backup for a while now. As we get closer to the deadline Halak’s name will be thrown around more as he is on a rebuilding Vancouver team with a one-year contract. Halak is very reliable and despite being on a bad team he is having a good season. This year he hasn’t found the win column yet at 0-4-1 but sports at .910 save percentage with a 2.85 goals against average. Halak has been a Ranger killer in his career with a 24-9-1 record against the Rangers, so it’d be nice to have him on our side.

Marc-Andre Fleury

Speaking of players looking weird in a Blueshirts sweater, Marc-Andre Fleury, the longshot of this list, has had his name in trade rumors for awhile now because of his expiring deal and the Blackhawks’ lack of success. Fleury’s availability remains a mystery though. The Blackhawks had to convince Fleury not to retire when he was traded there from Vegas. So would family be an area for concern when potentially looking to deal him?

The reigning Vezina winner is having a decent season. His 6-9-0 record could be attributed to the abysmal start Chicago had, but despite their struggles Fleury has a .913 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average.

This is a trade that if we’re being honest could only happen in NHL 22 but I do think that Fleury could be a real fit with the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin has not been a work horse in his career. The most games he played in one season in Russia was 43.  In North America his busiest season was  in 2019-20 when he played  37 games, 12 with the Rangers and 25 with Hartford.

If the Rangers are concerned with his injury history or his ability to start 50/60 games they should consider Fleury.  Fleury could relieve some of Shesterkin’s work load, especially if you believe that Georgiev’s struggles have forced Shesterkin to play as much as he has. Cost could be a concern but remember that when Chicago traded Robin Lehner, they got only a second round pick and Malcolm Subban.

Matt Murray

Matt Murray, the man who replaced Fleury in Pittsburgh wants out from Ottawa. Murray  recently cleared waivers and according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Murray feels like the scapegoat for Ottawa’s struggles. Now the Rangers wouldn’t want to acquire him via trade as Murray has two  years left after this one at  a $6,250,000 Average Annual Value. The Rangers would be a fit for Murray only if he and Ottawa mutually agree to a contract termination,something that is highly unlikely.

I don’t believe Murray to the Rangers is likely unless Ottawa buys him next summer. However, it’s worth noting that if Georgiev continues to struggle and Murray becomes a free agent, he could be on the  Rangers’ radar after the season.

The Rangers have been very good this year but have been hindered by the play of their backup goaltender. Alexandar Georgiev has a shot to prove that he can be a strong backup for Shesterkin but if the struggles continue the Rangers have to make a move.

His play in the Rangers’ 3-2 win over the Blackhawks was a good start and we will know a lot about Georgiev’s future in New York after the next four or five games.