NEW YORK — The New York Rangers are to be without Igor Shesterkin for the remainder of the 2026-27 season after the No 1 goaltender suffered a lower-body injury, the club announced on Saturday. The news follows the 30-year-old's early exit from the Rangers' 3-1 defeat to the Washington Capitals on 9 October, a result that saw Washington emerge victorious after the contest was level at 1-1 when he departed.
Shesterkin left in the second period after an awkward slide in his crease and needed assistance off the ice. He did not return, having stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced before Dylan Garand replaced him on Friday night.
The Russian had opened the campaign in strong form, posting a 3-1 record with a .927 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average across five appearances. He missed a month last season with a lower-body injury during what was a lost season for the Rangers, finishing seventh in Vezina Trophy voting after a 25-19-6 record with a .912 save percentage and a 2.50 GAA.
Depth in goal is already stretched. Backup Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve on 1 October with a lower-body injury and is listed as week to week after being acquired from the Boston Bruins on 1 July in exchange for forward Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round pick. Garand is next in line to start for the foreseeable future.
Garand, a fourth-round pick of the Rangers in 2020, has posted a 3-1-1 record with a .954 save percentage and a 1.31 GAA in five games at NHL level in his career, including a 22-save shutout against the Detroit Red Wings earlier this season. In 36 AHL appearances with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season he finished with an .896 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA. The Rangers are currently top of the Metropolitan Division with a 4-2-0 record through six games after finishing last in the Metro last season with a 34-39-9 record.