Dylan Garand will start in the New York Rangers’ 2025-26 season finale on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Garand was recalled by the Rangers from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League on March 20, as he finally got his first taste of NHL action in Jonathan Quick’s absence due to an upper-body injury.
Advertisement
The 23-year-old goaltender has started in two games since being called up, posting a 1-0-1 record, 1.44 goals against average, and .954 save percentage.
However, Garand hasn’t started a game since notching his first NHL win on March 27 against the Chicago Blackhawks, but the Rangers have still opted to keep him around despite Quick returning to the lineup.
Ahead of the Rangers’ Monday night game against the Florida Panthers, Quick announced that he would officially be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
This development opens up the door for Garand to take over the Blueshirts’ backup goaltending role next season behind Igor Shesterkin.
Advertisement
“We have talked for a few weeks on what we were trying to accomplish with our goalies, and there were multiple objectives involved,” Mike Sullivan said. “Obviously, Shesty is our No. 1 guy, and he’s a priority for us. I think how we handled Quickie down the stretch, he is deserving of, and we’ve spoken at length about that. And Dylan is a guy that’s played well in the starts that he’s had, and we’re excited about where potentially he goes moving forward.
“So there were multiple objectives involved, and we had a big-picture game plan in mind, and this was part of it. As I always tell you guys, it’s always subject to change based on circumstances. You guys know that. But obviously we’re trying to accomplish multiple things at the same time, and that was part of it.”
With the Rangers eliminated from playoff contention and without much to play for heading into their season finale, Garand will get another opportunity to further showcase his skills at the NHL level.
Read the full article here
