NY Rangers' Young Goalie Makes Strong Case for Expanded Role Next Year

The New York Rangers saw one of their young players make a good final impression for next season.

Apr 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan speaks to reporters after a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers finished off their 2025-26 campaign with a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 4-2. 

With a three-game losing streak heading into the last game of the season, the Rangers undoubtedly wanted to end the season on a high note. This is a team that has been performing well down the stretch with a nice mix of veterans and young talent blending together. 

While it was an extremely disappointing campaign for the team this season, they will be hoping that a strong summer can get them right back into the mix in the playoffs. New York is going to have excellent odds for getting one of the top picks in the NHL Draft, and they also have a lot of cap space to pursue help in free agency and on the trade market. 

Even though it is a much different looking group compared to years past, the Rangers are pretty intent that they are retooling and not rebuilding. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t have some of their young talent produce. 

On Wednesday, the team made the decision to start goalie Dylan Garand over Igor Shesterkin in the season finale. The 23-year-old got to play in his third game of the year, and the results were good. 

Garand Helping Case To Be Backup

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

With a strong start under his belt to wrap up the season, it was certainly a good lasting impression heading into the summer for the young goalie. With the decision being made to star him in the finale, the Rangers clearly wanted to see what Garand can do. 

The former fourth-round pick might not have played a lot this year, but he was very impressive when he did. In the win over the Lightning, he recorded his second win of the year and allowed just two goals on 31 shots. 

Overall, he totaled a 2-0-1 record, 1.62 GAA, and .948 save percentage. While the sample size is very small, it is also very encouraging that he can be a key piece of the team going forward. 

With Jonathan Quick retiring, the backup goalie spot is going to be up for grabs next year, and Garand makes a lot of sense. Since the Rangers wanted to see him in the finale, that is a good indication that they believe he can fill this important role for them next season. 

While there will be options both in the trade market and free agency, going with a young, affordable option like Garand, who has flashed some upside, makes sense.