NY Rangers Placing Joonas Korpisalo on IR With Lower-Body Injury

The New York Rangers won't have Joonas Korpisalo for the foreseeable future.

Sep 24, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) checks back into the game following a timeout against the New Jersey Devils in the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers are only preparing for their second game of the regular season, but they have already suffered a significant blow to their depth chart.

According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, goalie Joonas Korpisalo is being placed on injured reserve because of a lower-body injury. He is considered week-to-week, so it is fair to assume the Rangers will be without him for a little while.

Korpisalo made the roster to begin the season as the No. 2 goalie behind Igor Shesterkin. Not even a week into the regular season, he is being sidelined by an injury, which means that a chance has to be made.

As shared by the official PR account of the team on X, Dylan Garand is being recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack. With Korpisalo sidelined, this is a golden opportunity for Garand to claim the backup job.

Rangers place Joonas Korpisalo on IR, recall Dylan Garand

#NYR putting Joonas Korpisalo on IR. He's week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) October 1, 2026

This is something plenty of fans will be happy about, as there was a large contingent of people who believed that the young netminder should have been on the roster from the beginning.

Instead, Garand was part of the final cuts, along with forward Taylor Raddysh, which meant being subject to waivers. Luckily, he was not claimed by another team, but interest in him was reportedly legitimate, with the Winnipeg Jets opting to claim Clay Stevenson from the Washington Capitals instead.

While the move ended up working in New York’s favor, with Garand clearing waivers, allowing them to keep Scott Morrow, Jaroslav Chmelar, Matt Rempe and Matthew Robertson all on the NHL roster, it turns out the move was even riskier than originally thought given the health status of Korpisalo.

Dylan Garand has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack.

— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) October 1, 2026

If there was any indication that he wouldn’t be able to play because of a lower-body injury, he would have been placed on IR right from the start, clearing the way for Garand to be on the opening night roster.

Alas, no harm, no foul, but the Rangers are certainly fortunate to have Garand to recall. Had he been claimed by another franchise, journeyman Spencer Martin would have been recalled to become Shesterkin’s backup. Based on his track record, that would have been far from an ideal scenario.

Korpisalo was acquired from the Boston Bruins in a trade this offseason that left a lot of people scratching their heads. New York sent a future fourth-round pick and Kalle Vaisanen to acquire the backup goaltender, who is being paid $3 million annually.