The New York Rangers officially reported to training camp on Wednesday, as they evaluate the players that were invited and see where and if they fit on the Opening Night roster. For the most part, besides a couple of spots in the bottom six forwards group and the third pair left hand defenseman spot, Rangers fans know who will make the cut.
There is some intrigue when it comes to the backup goaltender spot behind Igor Shesterkin. Dylan Garand, their top goalie prospect, shined when appearing in three games last season. It gave the Rangers fanbase some confidence that the backup goaltender spot was locked in. But then, this offseason, the Rangers surrendered assets to the Boston Bruins to acquire Joonas Korpisalo, who had a shaky tenure with the team. Now, those two will battle for the backup goalie spot. However, there is risk with Garand, as he's is now subject to waivers if they want to move him to the AHL. With that, they would be at risk of him being claimed by another team.
In that case, could the Rangers move into the season with three goalies on the roster? Much like the rival New Jersey Devils are doing this upcoming season?
Devils are implementing three goalie system heading into 2026-27 season
The Devils haven't had the best of luck when it comes to goaltending in the post Martin Brodeur era. Their most recent gamble that turned out to fail was trading for Jacob Markstrom, as he struggled last season (.883 save percentage, 3.07 goals allowed average). This offseason, the Devils traded Markstrom to the Florida Panthers.
When looking at their roster, it appears that goaltending is still a major need for the team. However, they are moving forward with a goalie trio of Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich. It is a bold strategy for new general manager Sunny Mehta, but they are banking on the trio to put up solid performances throughout the year to help them make it back into the playoffs. The Devils are no strangers to bold strategies to figure out what to do at goaltender. This one might be their boldest to date. But they will determine in training camp who will get the majority of the starts.
The Rangers can take solace in the fact that they have always had a legitimate star goalie at the helm in recent years. Hey, going from Henrik Lundqvist to Shesterkin is as good as you could hope for.
Three goalie system idea floated by Rangers reporter
The Athletic's Peter Baugh recently published an article on the training camp battles Rangers fans can expect for the coming weeks. Baugh talked about the backup goalie battle and the potential of Garand getting claimed off waivers if theyy try to sneak him back to the AHL. Baugh then mentioned that the Rangers have the cap space to carry all three goalies heading into the season.
However, Baugh says that if the Rangers go in that direction, it could very well stunt Garand's development,
"They have the cap space to keep both goalies on the roster behind star Igor Shesterkin. The downside: There might not be enough playing time to go around," writes Baugh. "Shesterkin handles the bulk of the team’s goaltending duties, so Garand and Korpisalo would spend significant time watching from the press box or the bench if they split No. 2 duties. That likely wouldn’t be good for Garand’s development. He needs to play in games."
As mentioned earlier, Garand shined in his three starts with the Rangers late last season. In those starts, Garand put up a .948 save percentage, a 1.62 goals allowed average, and a 2-0-1 record. Yes, it's a very limited stretch to evaluate, but it was difficult not to be excited about his potential as a backup goalie in the NHL. In fact, Garand said he didn't want to go back down to the AHL after his stint in New York late last season.
But with Korpisalo, it gives the Rangers the veteran option they have shown to love having behind their starter. Over the years, they had the likes of Jonathan Quick, Antti Raanta, and Jaroslav Halak serve as backups behind their starters. The Rangers gave up a 2028 fourth-round pick and forward Kalle Vaisanen, which isn't too much to surrender, but do you think they would cut him taking that into account? It seems unlikely they would do that a couple of months after giving up a mid-round pick.
Last season, Korpisalo recorded a .894 save percentage, a 3.15 goals allowed average, and a 14-9-6 record in 31 games with the Bruins.
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Sullivan praised Garand, but also noted that they wanted to bring in depth (like they did across the roster) in Korpisalo. Sullivan says that the goal is to "have fierce internal competition."
"I think [Garand] showed us late in the season last year that he's very capable of making saves in this league. That, in and of itself, just his overall growth and development has given us a little bit more legitimate depth at the goaltending position," said Sullivan, h/t Mollie Walker of the New York Post. "Korpy is a guy that I think is a bona fide NHL goalie that's had success and has a body of work in this league that shows that he can be an effective goaltender, especially at the backup position. He's done an admirable job in the places that he's been. We feel like that position right now is competitive."
As Baugh mentioned, if this is a competition, and the Rangers decide to keep both Garand and Korpisalo, it does save them from losing their young goalie prospect. However, it would hurt his development if he doesn't play enough. That is something Sullivan will have to keep in mind before making what is a tough decision.
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