Heading into training camp it was widely believed that the New York Rangers were going to have to make an important decision regarding their roster to start the season, and if we take Mike Sullivan at his word, that decision may come a little later than expected.
The decision, if you didn't guess by the picture, involves the goaltending situation. Everyone knows that Igor Shesterkin is going to have the lion's share of the workload in New York, and up until July it was all but assumed Dylan Garand would step into the spot vacated once Jonathan Quick retired.
The addition of Joonas Korpisalo via a trade with the Boston Bruins through a wrench into the mix, and with a much shorter training camp that we have been used to, Mike Sullivan acknowledged that the Rangers might carry three goalies to start the season.
Sullivan would be "fine" with a short term goaltending trio
In any other year, the Rangers would have had Garand and Korpisalo duke it out in training camp and preseason action before Shesterkin took the crease for the final game or two to tune up for the start of the regular season. The new NHL CBA added two regular season games to the schedule, and the trade off to accommodate that is a shorter preseason. A shorter preseason allows for less time for evaluation, and rather than just risk losing Garand for nothing, the Rangers are considering another option.
Sullivan on the possiblity of the #NYR carrying three goalies:
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 17, 2026
"Is that an option that's on the table for us? Yes."
Noted that it's not ideal in the long term, but he'd be fine with it short term.
A three headed monster in goal isn't a strategy that is used often. Shesterkin made his debut with the Rangers as part of trio that included Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev, and it lasted for a few months. At the end of the season Lundqvist was bought out, Shesterkin won the starting job, and Georgiev was the backup untill he was traded to Colorado in 2022.
October could present perfect opportunity
While not ideal, having three goalies on the roster could end up working for a bit given the start to the season. New York opens on Tuesday, September 29th, they play again two days later on Thursday, October 1st, again the next night, again two days later on October 4th, and then again on October 6th. After that the Rangers have a stretch where they play on the 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, and 26th. That is a pretty hellacious start to the season, with minimal time for rest and practice, and it could be a rare opportunity where it is fine to have a three man rotation.
The only reason such a thing would be considered is if the Rangers feel that they risk losing a goaltender on waivers before the season begins, and if they could then sneak someone through a little bit later once goaltending situations are in order.
I don't think the Rangers would lose Korpisalo on waivers considering his salary and that his numbers haven't been all that good in recent years. He ended last season with a 14-9-6 record along with a .894 save percentage and 3.15 goals against average in 31 games with the Bruins. A year prior he went 11-10-3 with a .893 save percentage a 2.90 goals against average.
I do think someone like Garand who is young and full of potential could be an attractive option since he's cheap and under team control. He went 2-0-1 in three games with a .948 save percentage and a 1.62 goals against average, and looked very comfortable in the crease for the Blueshirts. It's still a small sample, but the overall progression of his game since being drafted has been positive to the point where the next logical step is an assignment as an NHL backup.
That being said, If the Rangers are dead set on having both remain in the organization, carrying three goalies to start the year, and trying their luck later could be the move. While that would result in the team having one less skater as a reserve, given Sullivan's first set of lines in practice on Thursday, that might not be something that bothers him.
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