The New York Rangers' positive vibes disappeared as soon as goalie Igor Shesterkin had to be helped off of the ice in Washington D.C. due to a knee injury. One day later, it was revealed that Shesterkin was out for the rest of the season. With that, the Rangers had to scramble, and Dylan Garand had to step up, and played well to start. But, the lack of a quality backup has forced head coach Mike Sullivan to play Garand way too much, and it has affected his play.
While the Rangers have been linked to trades for goaltending help, they don't appear to be in a rush. That's because they are waiting on Joonas Korpisalo to return from a foot infection. He has been sidelined since the start of the season, and has just begun skating. Yet, he is still a couple of weeks away.
Even when he comes back, he has shown he's not the answer in net that the Rangers are hoping he'll be.
Joonas Korpisalo's track record shows he won't be Rangers' solution to goaltending woes
Entering the offseason, the Rangers needed to find a backup goaltender with Jonathan Quick retiring. While the belief was that the team would give Garand a chance, general manager Chris Drury instead acquired Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick and forward Kalle Vaisanen. Even though they were minimal assets, it was difficult to envision Korpisalo not being named the primary backup.
The thing with Korpisalo is that his numbers with the Bruins weren't anything to write home about. During the 2024-25 season, Korpisalo put up a .893 save percentage, a 2.90 goals allowed average, and an 11-10-3 record in 27 games (24 starts). Then, last season, his numbers didn't get any better. Through 31 games (28 starts), Korpisalo put up a .894 save percentage, a 3.15 goals allowed average, and a 14-9-6 record.
Before his tenure in Boston, Korpisalo was with the Ottawa Senators. During the 2023-24 season, Korpisalo recorded a .890 save percentage, a 3.27 goals allowed average, and a 21-26-4 record in 55 games (49 starts).
His last good season was in the 2022-23 campaign where he split time with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings, where he put up a .915 save percentage and a 2.87 goals allowed average in 39 games (37 starts).
Besides that season, Korpisalo hasn't exactly the best numbers you want from your primary backup goalie. The Rangers have been used to having quality backup options that can steal some wins when resting the starter. But now, the Rangers are in a position where they need a legitimate solution with Shesterkin out. Looking at his recent track record, Korpisalo doesn't seem like the answer.
When could Joonas Korpisalo make first start with Rangers?
Mollie Walker of the New York Post mentioned in a recent article that, based on Korpisalo's projected four-week recovery timeline, he'd be set to return Nov. 7, which falls on the day of the Rangers' road game against the Seattle Kraken. That's not to say that he will definitely start that game, but he could return around that time.
Until then, the Rangers will have to run with Garand as the primary starter. We'll see if James Reimer gets some starts as well, considering he is currently day-to-day with a lower body injury.
Once Korpisalo makes a couple of starts, that may very well increase the pressure for Drury to make a trade if he doesn't pan out. From there, we will see if they will target goalies like Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres, Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues, or others to get a substantial number of starts the rest of the season.
This is a Rangers team that is determined to make it back to the playoffs. However, they are in unfamiliar territory for the first time in a long time, and that's they have to figure out what to do at the goaltender position.
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