Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick leaves practice early with a lower body injury

Just as the New York Rangers were ramping back up to return for the season’s final stretch with the Olympics ending, a concerning sight emerged at the team's training facility in Westchester. Veteran netminder Jonathan Quick left Saturday’s practice early with a lower-body injury, a development the team is currently labeling as "precautionary."

While the Rangers are hopeful this is a minor setback, any ailment to the Blueshirts' reliable backup is enough to raise eyebrows as the roster prepares for the post-Olympic grind.

Quick's injury isn't unexpected

While any injury to a key veteran is a blow, this setback feels like the inevitable result of an unsustainable workload. During Igor Shesterkin’s recent absence, the 40-year-old Quick was forced to hold down the New York net far beyond the managed limits typically reserved for a backup.

The results of that heavy usage were telling. Quick struggled through a disastrous January, finishing the month with a 1-7-1 record alongside a 4.56 goals against average and a .827 save percentage. Throughout that stretch, the veteran often appeared fatigued, battling to keep pace as the primary starter. Given his age and the sheer volume of high-danger chances he faced during Shesterkin’s injury, a soft-tissue or fatigue-related injury was always a distinct possibility.

On the season as a whole, Quick is 4-14-2 with a 3.10 goals against average and .890 save percentage. He's appeared in 20 of the Blueshirts' 57 games this year, and that's significant considering he played 24 games last year and 27 the year prior.

With Shesterkin reportedly nearing a return, the timing of this "precautionary" exit suggests that the physical toll of January has finally caught up to the future Hall of Famer. The Rangers must now hope that this hiatus provides the reset Quick needs to return to his effective, sheltered backup role in a few weeks.

Dylan Garand is the only logical choice if Jonathan Quick misses time

If Igor Shesterkin is cleared to return and Quick is sidelined, the Rangers find themselves at a developmental crossroads. Rather than returning to a veteran stopgap, the franchise should recall Dylan Garand from Hartford. While Spencer Martin is also in the mix for the Wolf Pack, he has struggled significantly this season at both the AHL and NHL levels. In nine games with Hartford, Martin has posted a 3.09 GAA and an .896 save percentage. Such numbers don't instill much confidence for a team trying to stabilize its backup situation

Admittedly, the numbers for Garand this season aren't much better on the surface (3.03 goals against average, and .890 save percentage). However, as Vince Mercogliano recently noted, those stats are largely a byproduct of playing for a "bad" Hartford team that has consistently hung him out to dry. Despite the tough circumstances, Garand remains a high-upside prospect who is "dying to get to the NHL."

While the Rangers are effectively in a retooling phase where losses aid their lottery odds, Shesterkin’s competitive nature means he won't stay sidelined a second longer than necessary. A way to balance that drive with the team's long-term interests would be giving Garand his first true NHL look.

Playing Garand allows the front office to evaluate his raw abilities in an environment where his performance isn't entirely dependent on a porous AHL defense. It provides a baseline for what he can offer in a future where a more competent and complete roster is supporting him. With the season winding down, seeing what Garand can do at the NHL level is far more valuable than leaning on a veteran like Martin, who has struggled to find his footing this year.