The New York Rangers announced that goaltender Igor Shesterkin will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury in the second period against the Washington Capitals. Shesterkin knew immediately something was wrong when he dropped his blocker to the ice. They helped him off the ice, and Dylan Garand came in.
?Night Cap Recap ?
Igor Shesterkin Done for the Season #nyr https://t.co/E73BFsTmTX
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) October 10, 2026
This is the second straight season Igor Shesterkin has been injured. Last year, he missed 13 games after sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on January 5th, 2026, at Madison Square Garden.
NHL Rumors: Will the New York Rangers Be a Seller This Season?
This time, they don’t have Jonathan Quick to take over as starter. Quick is enjoying retirement and is the director of goalie development. Joonas Korpisalo, who they traded for from the Boston Bruins, remains out of the lineup for another four weeks with an injury. Spencer Martin has also been out with an injury but is getting close.
So Dylan Garand will be the number one goalie, with Callum Tung backing him up, which means the New York Rangers will need a goalie.
New York Rangers Goalie Options
Connor Hellebuyck – Immediately when the news came out that Shesterkin was lost for the season, everyone pointed to Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. As mentioned in NHLRumors.com’s latest rumours video, Hellebuyck makes sense in theory, but reality is another story. He has five years left on his deal with an $8.5 million AAV. Igor Shesterkin has six years left at $11.5 million AAV. So that’s $20 million in two goalies. Not smart cap management for Rangers GM Chris Drury.
NHL Rumors: Panthers, Red Wings, Flames, and Does Hellebuyck’s Price Change?
Now, one theory is that the Rangers trade for Hellebuyck for one season and go all-in, since they feel they can make the playoffs and go on a run. Hellebuyck has played for Mike Sullivan at Four Nations and the Olympics. But we know Hellebuyck wants to go to a team he believes can win in the next couple of seasons.
But it would be risky for the Rangers. They’d have to give up assets to get Connor Hellebuyck and then try to recoup them in the offseason when his 10-team no-trade clause goes into effect.
Jordan Binnington– One option out there is St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington. Binnington is in the final year of his deal at a $6 million AAV. St. Louis is Joel Hofer‘s team now. We saw Binnington win a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues back in 2019. Not to mention, he helped Canada win the Four Nations and found his form again at the Olympics, where he was in net as Canada won silver. The Rangers have improved defensively, and that will help his game. It’s a cheaper trade option than Hellebuyck.
Darcy Kuemper – What about Darcy Kuemper in Los Angeles? The Kings and Rangers have traded before. Kuemper also has one year left at $5.25 million AAV. Another proven Stanley Cup winner who has shown he can win games with or without a great defence.
John Gibson – Another veteran goalie on an expiring deal is John Gibson with the Detroit Red Wings. Again, what is Detroit’s direction? He needs a contract, but it is unclear if they want to go in another direction. In his final year at a $6.4 million AAV, Gibson is another cheaper option. Again, he does have an injury history, so the Rangers might stay away from that.
NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Oilers, Flames and Three Pending UFAs
Other trade options include Mackenzie Blackwood with the Colorado Avalanche and Filip Gustavsson (out for a while) with the Minnesota Wild. The New York Rangers could also look at James Reimer, Petr Mrazek, David Rittich, Vitek Vanecek, Matt Murray, and others to fill the void until Korpisalo is back.
Regardless, the New York Rangers can’t throw in the towel on their season. If they believe they can be a playoff team, they need to stabilize the position to get through this season. As captain J.T. Miller said, it is a next-man-up mentality. It will be interesting to see which direction they choose.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league. We’re also posting some stuff on Instagram.
If you love our reporting, choose NHLrumors.com as a preferred source on Google.
