Garand's 'inner arrogance' should help Rangers cope with Shesterkin's absence

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, also known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his insight and wit with readers each Wednesday. This week focuses on the New York and how their upward moves in the Metropolitan Division are being challenged by a season-ending injury to goalie Igor Shesterkin.

There's no business like hockey business. Just ask New York Rangers goalie Dylan Garand.

Two weeks before opening night, the Rangers put Garand on waivers for the purpose of being sent to Hartford of the American Hockey League.

Garand cleared the next day and was soon brought back to New York because Joonas Korpisalo sustained a lower-body injury that would keep him out week to week. And just like that, the 24-year-old became the Rangers' starting goalie after Igor Shesterkin sustained a season-ending lower-body injury in a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Oct. 9. 

"It's a dream come true," Garand said the next day. "I'm trying to embrace that mentality and have a lot of gratitude for this opportunity."

Garand made 19 saves in the Rangers' 6-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, the first game since learning Shesterkin would be out for the season. He became the eighth rookie goalie in team history to win each each of his first two starts, the third in 40 years to do so and the last since Shesterkin (Jan. 7 and 9, 2020).

"There is a galvanizing element to this team that began to be fostered in training camp, and has been fast-tracked after Igor Shesterkin's injury," said MSG Networks studio host and reporter John Giannone. "To a man, the Rangers refuse to allow the loss of their franchise goaltender to either define or derail their season. And on the first day of the rest of their season, you could sense that galvanization in the way the Rangers performed and supported Dylan Garand."

Garand played four seasons in the AHL and five for Kamloops in the Western Hockey League. He was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round (No. 103) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

"Garand has what Shesterkin had going for him in the first five games of this season and that is, a very good team in front of him. That's all Dylan needs," said George Grimm, author of "Guardians of the Goal: A Comprehensive Guide to Rangers Goaltenders."

The Rangers and hockey pundits are impressed with Garand's quick legs and his ability to cover low ice well. 

"I like Garand," MSG Networks radio analyst Dave Starman said. "He's an edgy goalie and he plays with an inner arrogance needed to be successful in the NHL. He believes he's the real deal, but the key is that he plays with confidence.

"A team's best ability is reliability. The pieces acquired by (general manager) Chris Drury have been reliable in all the roles they're playing, especially forward Gabe Perreault along with 18-year-old Alberts Smits on defense. They've already made big contributions, coming together and growing up quickly."

The retool began when the Rangers acquired Pavel Dorofeyev in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on June 26 for a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. The 25-year-old forward then signed a seven-year $77-million contract with New York on June 30.

One by one, replacements fell into place -- Joseph Veleno, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Sean Durzi, Marcus Pettersson, Korpisalo, Eeli Tolvanen, Cole Beaudoin and Smits, the No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft originally targeted for NHL arrival at least a year or two from now.

By opening night, the Rangers had one of the youngest teams in the NHL and youthful holdovers who impressed last season. They included Tye Kartye, 25, Noah Laba, 23, Jaroslav Chmelar, 23, and Perreault, 21.

Kartye was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Kraken on Feb. 27. He's turned into a steal and is even more valuable with Veleno out for 3-3 1/2 months with a lower-body injury.

"Tye is like a dog on a bone -- on a puck," Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. 

What remains to be seen is how well Garand's game holds up or if the Rangers decide to trade for a more experienced NHL goalie.

"When it comes to backups, history is on the Rangers' side," Grimm said. "In the 1928 Rangers-Montreal Maroons (Stanley Cup) Final, New York goalie Lorne Chabot was hospitalized in the second playoff game with a serious eye injury. Astonishingly, (coach) Lester Patrick replaced Chabot and won the game.

"In the deciding Game 5, Patrick gambled on oft-rejected goalie Joe 'Red Light' Miller, yet Miller starred in the 2-1 win for the Blueshirts' first Cup conquest."

Backup magic continued when Patrick took a chance on minor leaguer Andy Aitkenhead of the Bronx Tigers in the Canadian American Hockey League, a crosstown Rangers farm club, for the 1932-33 season. A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Aitkenhead had zero NHL experience. yet with "The Glasgow Gobbler" in goal, New York won the Stanley Cup for the second time in their history.

"Ranger sub-goalie luck happened again in 1941," Grimm said. "Patrick's Hall of Fame goalie Davey Kerr unexpectedly retired, so Lester relied on another inexperienced rookie. It turned out that 'Sugar' Jim Henry was a huge help getting the Blueshirts a first-place finish."

First place this season is not out of the Rangers' reach. Forward Alexis Lafreniere was asked about the personal goals he set for himself coming off his third NHL hat trick in a 5-2 win against the New York Islanders on Oct. 6.

"Win the Cup," said Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft.