NY Rangers Waiving Dylan Garand Was Bad Call

The New York Rangers have taken a gamble, placing goaltender Dylan Garand on waivers and risking losing the goalie for nothing.

First reported by Mollie Walker, Taylor Raddysh was also put on waivers. She cited the Rangers believe Garand still needs to continue his development while also getting No. 1 goalie reps while he's 24-years-old — though some believe this to be poor asset management from the front office. The Rangers were required to make two more moves before getting their NHL roster squared away (featuring the 23-man limit) ahead of the regular-season opener.

#NYR are putting Dylan Garand and Taylor Raddysh on waivers today, per league source.

Team thinks Garand still has some developing to do and needs to be getting No. 1 goalie reps as a 24yr old. They're accepting the risk of losing him for nothing.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) September 27, 2026

Garand now has until Sept. 28 to be claimed.

The Blueshirts will now rely on veteran Joonas Korpisalo as the backup for starting netminder Igor Shesterkin to begin the year. Jonathan Quick retired from the League net after 19 seasons — with his retirement being announced in April 2026.

Most online are baffled over the Garand move and the resulting gamble it poses. Originally being drafted by the New York organization in 2020, Garand has never requested a trade and has made the most out of his time in the minors. In addition, the goalie most recently stopped 28 of 31 attempts against New Jersey on the Sept. 21 preseason game.

However, placing Garand and Raddysh on waivers or sending them down to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) to begin the season does allow room to keep Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar on the roster.

This move also comes after Raddysh and Garand were left out of the official game group who traveled to UBS Arena on Sept. 25 in the preseason finale. The Rangers now turn their attention to opening the regular season at the Boston Bruins on Sept. 29.

Who Could Dylan Garand Be for the Rangers?

Should Garand clear waivers, the former fourth-round pick will be in line for the top goalie position in Hartford.

The netminder has appeared in three games for the Rangers in 2025-26 — posting a 2-0-1 record, a 1.62 goals against average and a .948 save percentage. Not one to shy away from the pressure, Garand made an immediate impact.

He made 35 saves in his NHL debut on Mar. 22 and stopped 27 of 28 shots he faced to earn his first career NHL win on Mar. 27, making him become the first Rangers rookie goalie to have earned at least one point in each of his first three NHL games since Henrik Lundqvist back in 2005-06.

New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand, Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images — Mar 27, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) reacts after being announced as the first star of the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. The win was the first in his NHL career. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rangers fans should hope for him to remain with franchise to earn another eventual chance in the net for the Blueshirts, as just last season he appeared in 26 games with the Wolf Pack and earned a 16-15- 2 record, 2.83 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. Across five AHL seasons, he has appeared in 148 career games and has posted a 65-57-18 record, along with a 2.90 goals against average.

Fans will find out by 2 p.m. EST on Sept. 28 whether Garand clears or gets acquired. Should Garand be claimed off waivers by another team, it leaves the Rangers with just Spencer Knight and Callum Tung in terms of AHL goalie talent.

Add us as a preferred source on Google