The New York Rangers were in crisis mode after their sixth game of the season, as star goalie Igor Shesterkin left with a knee injury, which officially knocked him out for the remainder of the campaign. There were questions regarding whether or not the team will make a trade to try and salvage their season. Dylan Garand has filled in more than admirably as the starter, while Joonas Korpisalo is still recovering from an injury, so he's bound to get some starts once he returns. But, that doesn't mean the Rangers aren't working the phones to see if they can land another goalie.
During an appearance on Sportsnet, former Rangers goalie Stephen Valiquette said he heard that New York would be involved in a Connor Hellebuyck trade. No, not for the Rangers to acquire Hellebuyck. Rather, Hellebuyck would go from the Winnipeg Jets to the Utah Mammoth, with the Rangers getting Karel Vejmelka as part of a three-team deal.
"I'm hearing Vejmelka's name a lot being linked to the Rangers. Hellebuyck, by way of Vejmelka coming to New York, would be going to Utah," said Valiquette. "That's the one I'm hearing more than [Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen] coming to New York.
Rangers linked to Karel Vejmelka trade, but it doesn't feel like a logical fit
First things first, the Rangers are not in the running for Hellebuyck. They did reportedly check in, but determined that Winnipeg's asking price was just too high. Still, it didn't make too much sense, considering Shesterkin will be returning next season, and having Hellebuyck would create a logjam in net.
For Vejmelka, he isn't the biggest name in the goaltending world, he has been the starting goalie for the Mammoth organization since they made the move from Arizona to Utah. Yet, his numbers aren't particularly the best.
While Valiquette did praise Vejmelka as a "game-eater," considering he didn't get 25 points from Utah's backup goalie, his numbers aren't particularly the greatest. Last season, Vejmelka led the NHL with 64 games played and 3,692:45 of ice-time. In that stretch, Vejmelka put up a 2.75 goals allowed average and a .897 save percentage, both of which are average for a starting goaltender. Not great, but not bad. But in his career, he has a cumulative .899 save percentage and a 3.10 goals allowed average. Again, not elite numbers.
But what makes the Rangers interest in Vejmelka that much more confusing, is that he still has plenty of term left on his contract. The Mammoth signed Vejmelka to a five-year, $23.75 million contract extension last year. So, he is under contract through the 2029-30 season, with an annual salary of $4.75 million. Then you take into account that they will have Shesterkin is under contract through the 2032-33 season at $11.57 million per year. That is more than $16 million per year committed to goaltending. That wouldn't be the best use of cap space, even with the cap increasing annually.
Rangers are better off running with Dylan Garand before making a trade down the line
It might be a bit early for the Rangers to make a trade for a goalie. Let's not forget that the Rangers barely got a look at Korpisalo after trading assets to acquire him this past summer. It's hard to imagine the team just giving up without giving him at least a start or two (or three) to see if he can create a competent goaltending duo with Garand.
Speaking of Garand, he has exceeded expectations, which is amazing considering he showed real promise in three starts last season. Through seven games (six starts), Garand has a .929 save percentage, a 1.85 goals allowed average, and a 4-2-1 record. Sure, it's still a small sample size, but it's hard not to be encouraged by what he's shown so far for the team, while having the unenviable role of replacing Shesterkin for, at least, the early portion of the season.
So, for now, the Rangers would be better off just running with their in-house options for now to see if Garand's early start is sustainable for the rest of the year, and see if Korpisalo is a strong option in net.
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