NY Rangers Developing Young Goalie Will Be Important

The New York Rangers need to continue to develop a talented goalie who could be in their plans for next season.

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after an 8-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are getting set for an important offseason and the team needs to add talent if they are going to be better. However, the development of some of their young talent will also be important. 

Coming off a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers are a team that has to make some moves this summer in order to get better. New York has been in a retooling process for the last couple of years, and the hope will be that they turn it around soon. 

Even though the 2025-26 campaign wasn’t a good one, the team did see some improvements after the Olympic break. Alexis Lafreniere looked like the player many have been hoping to see for a long time, and he put together one of the best stretches of his career. 

Furthermore, rookie Gabe Perreault really broke out after the break and looks like he is going to be a key piece going forward. While scoring is still a need for the team this offseason, there is reason to believe that they will have some improvements internally as well. 

New York did a nice job of getting young talent like Perreault a chance to play a lot and in meaningful spots to help his development. However, it was surprising to see them not do the same with goalie Dylan Garand, who might be the backup in the net for the team next season. 

Rangers Need to Develop Young Goalie

New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

While the sample size might have been very small at just three games, the numbers were strong for the former fourth-round pick of New York. In three games, he totaled a 2-0-1 record, 1.62 GAA, and .948 save percentage. 

Even though those numbers might not be sustainable once he starts to play more, it is an encouraging sign of what he can be. In each of the last two years at Hartford, he allowed fewer than three goals a game. There is clearly some talent there, and it was a bit surprising to see the Rangers not give him more looks at the end of the year. 

With the season being over for quite some time, New York certainly could have played him more down the stretch. If they did, they would have likely had a better idea of what they could expect from the young goalie going forward. While their minds might be made up already about the plan for next year, as of now, pursuing a veteran in free agency seems like it could be in the cards.