Connor Hellebuyck blockbuster trade clarifies Rangers backup goaltender plan

It is a running joke that whenever a massive blockbuster goes down in the NHL, the immediate reflex across Canadian television is to ask "how does this affect the Leafs?" But given Connor Hellebuyck's arrival in the Metropolitan Division following Friday’s blockbuster trade to the New Jersey Devils, it is worth turning the analytical lens directly toward the New York Rangers.

There was early speculation in the wake of Igor Shesterkin's season-ending injury that the Blueshirts should use their available cap space to make a run for the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winning netminder, but it was never a reality. However, there remained a slim chance that the Rangers would be involved in a Hellebuyck trade, with the end goal of adding a goalie to serve as a backup to Dylan Garand and make things easier financially for the team that landed Hellebuyck. That didn't happen here, but the fact remains that the Rangers do need to finally make a decision on who the backup is going to be.

The backup market settles inward

Names like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Karel Vejmelka were never walking through the doors of Madison Square Garden. Neither option made financial or organizational sense for a team that has already committed its immediate future in net to Garand. Those names were bandied about during the rumor mongering that envisioned New York acting as a third broker, but with the market crystallized, Drury will not be spending high-end assets on separate goaltending transactions.

The Hellebuyck trade getting finalized on Friday should officially end those rumors, but something else that happened on Friday is likely to impact the Blueshirts' backup situation. Justin Dowling was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack following the signing of Luke Glendening on Thursday, and it was the first example of the Rangers converting a player on a PTO to a standard contract this season.

Glendening hasn't been with the team long, and it feels like there's a good chance that someone signed before him could be next in line to earn an NHL contract. James Reimer is currently with the Hartford Wolf Pack on an ATO, and on Friday he pitched a 35-save shutout against the Providence Bruins.

The victory came in Reimer's Wolf Pack debut, and essentially felt like a tune up of sorts to assess his conditioning and readiness. Reimer is 38 and has 539 games of NHL experience, including 14 games with the Ottawa Senators last season in which he posted a .886 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average.

An unforgiving November schedule demands insurance

It has been exceedingly clear that the coaching staff does not view Spencer Martin as an everyday NHL option. Garand has started every single contest since Shesterkin went down, with Martin's only action coming in pure mop-up duty during the blowout loss across the river in Newark.

From November 1 through November 13, the Rangers will alternate games and off-days without a single extended breather, playing seven contests in 13 days, highlighted by a grueling four-game trek through Seattle, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Garand won't start all seven games on that trip. Mike Sullivan will not embark on sprint through Western Canada without a trusted veteran who can spell his rookie, and he won't risk burning him out either.

With Joonas Korpisalo dealing with a foot infection and still weeks away from returning to game action, signing Reimer to a prorated, league-minimum NHL deal is the smartest card Drury can play. It would make New York the ninth stop of Reimer's 17-year NHL career and give the Rangers the exact stabilizing safety net they need to keep their division title push alive.

While Reimer may not be the best option out there, it buys the team time. It gives Garand someone with experience to lean on, and it puts the Rangers in a spot where they aren't just throwing points away by turning to Martin and praying for the best.

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