NY Rangers Have Reportedly Scouted Two Goalies for Trade

The New York Rangers have been hit hard by injuries in the early going of the 2026-27 NHL regular season.

It hasn’t derailed the team too much, getting off to a hot 7-3-1 start, but it would certainly behoove team president and general manager Chris Drury to start game planning how to replenish some of the depth that has been lost because of injuries.

One position that looks like it could use some help is goalie. First, it was Joonas Korpisalo, who was named the No. 2 after training camp, but suffered a mysterious injury days into the season and landed on IR. Luckily, Dylan Garand cleared waivers and was recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack to take over as the backup to Igor Shesterkin.

Days later, Garand was thrust into the No. 1 role with Shesterkin suffering a lower-body injury that is expected to sideline him for the duration of the season. With their top two goalies sidelined, it should come as no surprise that the Rangers are scouring the League for help between he pipes.

Which goalies are Rangers scouting on trade market?

Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) reacts during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens. — Oct 17, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) reacts during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During the most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, inside Elliotte Friedman revealed that New York has been scouting two goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres and Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth.

Along with those two, Friedman revealed that Rangers goalie scout Scott Clemmensen was in Calgary recently, hypothesizing that he was there to watch an opposing player: Anaheim Ducks goalie Ville Husso.

“I heard he was in Calgary last week when Anaheim was there. So, he was maybe looking at (Ville Husso), but the Ducks don’t have a lot of depth in goal. So, I don’t know if I see that,” said Friedman.

The insider added that Clemmensen may have watched some of the AHL action that was occurring in Calgary, as New York looks to leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding some goaltending depth.

Out of the three NHL options that Friedman mentioned, Ville Husso would make the most sense from a contract standpoint. He is a free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season, which means there is no long-term commitment for the team to have to worry about.

In an ideal world, Shesterkin is healthy and ready to assume the No. 1 role again next season, and Garand proves himself worthy of being the No. 2, as both are under contract for 2027-28. The same goes for Korpisalo, who is signed through next season.

The Rangers have a lot of money and term committed to goalies, which complicates their pursuit of Luukkonen, who is under contract through 2029, and Vejmelka, who is signed through 2030.

For now, the only depth addition has been James Reimer, who signed a PTO with Hartford to give the team another experienced netminder on the organizational depth chart.

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