NY Rangers' Risk of Placing Dylan Garand on Waivers Pays Off

The New York Rangers taking a risk and putting Dylan Garand on waivers has paid off.

Apr 15, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) looks on against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Opening Night for the New York Rangers on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, the team will be getting ready for the start of the season. With that being said, roster moves have had to be made to get things set. Recently, one decision that was made created quite a bit of a debate. 

Following a busy summer, the Rangers are getting set for the start of the campaign, and there is reason to be optimistic about the outlook for the group. 

New York was one of the more aggressive teams in terms of trying to improve this summer, and the hope will be that they did enough to get back into playoff contention. 

However, with all of the additions and the depth of the franchise improving quite a bit, there were some tough decisions that Mike Sullivan, the coaching staff, and Chris Drury had to make. One of the most notable ones was what to do with promising young goalie Dylan Garand. 

On Sunday, the team placed him on waivers with the hopes that he would clear to the AHL. Fortunately, with 2:00 PM passing on Monday, that has been the case. 

Garand Clearing is Great News for Rangers 

Apr 15, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) makes a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the biggest debates over the last couple of days for New York has been what the plan for their young goalie should be. In a small sample size last year, Garand was very impressive in the net. 

In three games in the NHL, he totaled a 2-0-1 record, 1.62 GAA, and .948 save percentage. While the sample size is small in the NHL, Garand has been impressive, and when the team elected to put him on waivers, many feared that he might get picked up. 

Fortunately for New York, he has passed through waivers and will be going to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL. At just 24 years old, New York is certainly high on Garand, but does see him as a player that needs more time to develop. 

There was a case to be made for the team carrying three goalies to start the year, but Garand is a player who needs more action. As of now, with a healthy Igor Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo, playing time in the NHL simply wasn’t going to be there for him. 

Now, the risk that the Rangers took has paid off, and Garand will be able to continue his development in the AHL. Even though he might not have made the team to start the season, that doesn’t mean that he won’t be able to contribute at some point this year.