Dylan Garand ended last season as a member of the New York Rangers determined never to return to the American Hockey League. While a crowded crease and veteran contracts forced him through waivers to Hartford to open the campaign, the 24-year-old is right back on the varsity squad—and tonight, he gets the start in Detroit.
The Rangers enter Little Caesars Arena on the second half of a back-to-back, riding high off an electric 5-1 home opening rout of Tampa Bay punctuated by Igor Shesterkin’s historic empty-net goal. But with an intense early-season schedule underway, Garand faces a career-defining audition.
History could be repeating itself
When the news broke that Joonas Korpisalo was headed to IR with a lower-body injury, I couldn't help but think back to the 2005-06 season. That season happened to be Henrik Lundqvist's rookie year, but heading into the season he wasn't a main character for the Rangers.
The league was fresh off the 2004-05 lockout, and although Lundqvist had quite a legendary season in Sweden, Kevin Weekes was expected to be the team's starting netminder. He ended the 2003-04 season with the Carolina Hurricanes having set a career-high in wins, games played, and shutouts, and he brought veteran experience to the team.
However, in October of 2005, Weekes suffered a groin strain in practice which resulted in him missing four games which opened the door for Lundqvist's NHL debut. He would eventually return, but another injury in November once again created more playing time for The King, and from there the rest was history.
Shesterkin is obviously the undisputed franchise pillar in New York, and nobody is unseating him. But Shesterkin's career high in single-season appearances is 61 games. The days of Lundqvist shouldering 70-plus starts are long gone in modern goaltending science. That leaves roughly 22 to 25 games up for grabs. With the Rangers remaining notably tight-lipped about the timeline and severity of Korpisalo’s injury, Garand has a legitimate runway to prove he belongs in that role permanently.
Asked if Joonas Korpisalo suffered his injury in practice, #NYR head coach Mike Sullivan said he didn't know.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) October 2, 2026
"It's a good question. I don't know the answer to that. But, obviously, he's injured. We'll see where it goes."
It remains interesting that the Rangers have been pretty tight-lipped about the nature of Korpisalo's injury. They've not acknowledged when the injury occured, nor have they provided anything further.
On the Joonas Korpisalo injury, Sullivan said last night that he didn't know if it happened at practice or not. Asked today if he had any more clarity to share, he simply responded, "No." #NYR
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 2, 2026
Garand will be motivated to make the most of this opportunity
Garand ultimately went unclaimed on waivers, and I think that's something that will end up motivating him. When he was originally promoted last season, Garand was direct in saying he was hungry to be a Ranger, and recognized how exciting an opportunity it was. It's not hard to blame him, as he's done a significant amount of waiting.
To this point Garand has appeared in 148 AHL games across six different seasons, and he's posted a 2.90 goals against average and a .901 save percentage in front of some pretty bad Hartford Wolf Pack teams. When Hartford has made the playoffs, Garand has met the moment, as evidenced by his 10-7-0 record along with a 2.21 goals against average and .927 save percentage in 17 games.
If you need any evidence of what difference a competent team can be, consider Garand went 2-0-1 with a 1.62 goals against average, a .948 save percentage, and courtesy of Evolving-Hockey he also had a 4.88 GSAA (goals saved above average) and a 5.38 GSAx (goals saved above expected). In the AHL last year he went 16-15-2, 2.83 goals against average, and a .896 save percentage which is significantly better than Spencer Martin who was an .884 goalie for the Pack.
Importance of getting off to a good start
The Red Wings present a tricky test tonight, energized by their own home opener while dealing with internal friction surrounding recently stripped team captain Dylan Larkin and unsigned RFA Simon Edvinsson.
If Garand delivers the same type of steady and composed performance that endeared him to the franchise last spring, Mike Sullivan will have every reason to keep calling his number. Following tonight’s away game, the Rangers return home to host Utah on Sunday, welcome the Islanders on Tuesday, travel to Washington on Friday, and then embark on a grueling gauntlet playing eight games in 16 days between October 11 and October 26.
The Rangers can't, and will not, run Igor into the ground in October. Garand waited years for his NHL window to open, and tonight in Detroit he has the opportunity to show why he belongs in the big leagues even when Korpisalo is fit enough to return.
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