Photo via Yahoo Sports

From Waivers to the Rangers’ Starting Goalie: Dylan Garand’s Unexpected Opportunity Following Igor Shesterkin’s Injury

The New York Rangers' goaltending situation took a dramatic turn in less than two weeks, catapulting Dylan Garand from waivers to the starting role. After being placed on waivers before the 2026-27 season began, Garand had been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, where he had spent most of his career since being drafted in the fourth round in 2020.

His NHL opportunities had been limited until late last season, when he started three games with a strong 2-0-1 record, a 1.62 goals-against average, and a .948 save percentage. Despite signing a two-year contract extension earlier this offseason, Garand lost the backup job to veteran Joonas Korpisalo, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins in July.

With Korpisalo sidelined by a lower-body injury and Igor Shesterkin out for the season, Garand was recalled and has since taken over as the starter, posting a shutout in a win over the Detroit Red Wings and a strong performance in relief of Shesterkin against the Washington Capitals. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan has praised Garand’s competitiveness and timely saves, signaling he will handle the bulk of the workload until Korpisalo returns, likely in another month.

Up nextNHL· 40m ago

Hagel completes hat trick with 2 late goals as Lightning beat Islanders 5-3