The New York Rangers were given an early test for the 2026-27 season that they must overcome if they want to have a chance at making the playoffs. Star goalie Igor Shesterkin is out for the season after suffering a right knee injury in New York's game against the Washington Capitals last Friday. It was a brutal loss, considering how the team collapsed last season when he was injured.
As of now, the Rangers are going to move forward with their in-house options. Dylan Garand has taken over the reins as the starter. Joonas Korpisalo, the primary backup, is currently out with a lower body injury for around a month, but should get some starts once he returns. Considering only seven games were played this season, there is no real reason to panic just yet. While obviously trade options have been discussed in the NHL media world, there was also another name that came up, and that's the recently retired Jonathan Quick.
ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that while Quick is happy with his current role with the Rangers as their goalie development coach, he "could be a possibility" if the team asked him to play. But that should not even be an idea that Rangers fans should even consider.
Rangers reportedly unlikely to ask Jonathan Quick to come out of retirement
The New York Post's Mollie Walker followed up the report from ESPN, saying that there is a "strong belief the Rangers are not considering" Quick to come out of retirement.
When it comes to the Rangers, they have always had a knack for bringing in the right veteran goalie to be a backup, and watched them thrive. Quick was among that group, as he shined during the 2023-24 season. In 27 games (26 starts), Quick put up a .911 save percentage, a 2.62 goals allowed average, and an 18-6-2 record. But last season was a rough one for Quick, as he put up a .891 save percentage, a 3.09 goals allowed average, and a 6-17-2 record. At the end of last season, Quick announced he was retiring from the NHL.
This summer, it was revealed that the Rangers offered Quick the goaltender development coach role, which he accepted. hen it comes to playing again, it seems like it's unlikely to happen.
The Rangers are moving forward with in-house options in goal instead
While the popular move right now would be for the Rangers to make a trade for a goalie, it's simply too early for them to explore that option. The team is 5-2-0 on the season so far, so there is plenty of runway for them to explore their options in-house.
Garand has played well so afar when called upon. Through three starts, Garand has a 2-1-0 record, a 1.20 goals allowed average, and a .945 save percentage.
Then, there's Koprisalo, who is likely to get a chance once he returns from a lower body injury. Let's not forget that they gave up assets to acquire Korpisalo, so they aren't going to move forward without giving him an opportunity to play in net.
From there, if injuries persist to test their goaltending depth or if Garand and Korpisalo struggle, there's a chance they could look for an external option. The likes of Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper, and John Gibson make sense, since they are all set to hit free agency next summer. A Connor Hellebuyck trade would be the biggest splash, but he still has term left on his deal, which would then make for an uncomfortable situation with him and Shesterkin on the roster next season.
For now, Garand and Korpisalo appears to be the plan for the Rangers moving forward. While Quick does qualify as an "in-house" option, it does not appear that the Rangers are going to consider him to play.
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