As much as Mike Sullivan warned the New York Rangers against dwelling on Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury, the Blueshirts must still figure out a solution to their goaltending dilemma early in the 2026-27 NHL season. According to reports, one candidate has emerged: Anthony Stolarz.
“I think [the Rangers] have actually kicked tires on Anthony Stolarz,” Darren Dreger stated on The Ray and Dregs Podcast. “He’s not [on] an expiring contract, but if you’re Toronto, why would you do that? Unless there’s an overpay, they like that combo of [Sergei] Bobrovsky and Stolarz. Sam Montembeault is another one.”
For the time being, the Rangers are content sticking with Dylan Garand as their starter. For now, the rookie is doing a great job. However, sooner or later, adversity will knock on the young netminder’s door, and it remains to be seen how he handles it.
At the end of the day, New York is without Shesterkin as well as Joonas Korpisalo. With no backup plan, Sullivan and the Rangers can’t risk leaving their season hopes in the hands of a still-wet-behind-the-ears Garand. And that isn’t taking anything away from Garand’s great start to the year.
Dylan Garand #33 of the New York Rangers.
NY Rangers search for contract-year goalies
Although Sullivan has lauded the Rangers’ buy-in after Shesterkin’s injury, it’s clear that this honeymoon period won’t last forever. When New York faces headwinds, who knows what will happen? With Shesterkin out for the year, the Rangers will need a temporary answer in net—one that can help them during the 2026-27 NHL season but can be expendable come free agency. Thus, New York is clearly looking for goalies on expiring deals.
“Obviously Chris Drury is scouring the league, but it’s not with a sense of urgency or desperation,” Dreger stated. “Because they do want to see Garand an opportunity to see if he can run with this a little bit, see what they’ve got in this guy. So now you’re looking at expiring contracts. What about Jordan Binnington in St. Louis? It’s just too early for the Blues to bite on that.”
Garand is playing lights out
There are several directions the Blueshirts can go in their search to bolster the injury-riddled crease at Madison Square Garden. However, they will take their time before making a move. What’s not broken needs no fixing, and Garand, who remains undefeated as a starter in the 2026-27 NHL season, is clearly showing no cracks for Sullivan. At least not yet.
The longer he can keep it up, the longer New York will postpone an urgent move for a goalie (likely one on an expiring contract), and the more convinced fans will become that Garand is a long-term solution behind Shesterkin. That would also raise more question marks around the eyebrow-raising trade for Korpisalo. Rangers fans should know by now, though, that you can’t win them all.
Key takeaways
- Anthony Stolarz has emerged as a potential trade candidate for the New York Rangers.
- Darren Dreger noted Chris Drury is actively scouring the league for goaltending help.
- Rookie goalie Dylan Garand remains undefeated as a starter for the New York Rangers this season.
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