Rangers Hand the Crease to 24-Year-Old Dylan Garand Amid Goalie Chaos
Daily Faceoff reports the Rangers will rely on Garand 'at least until Joonas Korpisalo returns.'
The New York Rangers are officially in the "break glass in case of emergency" phase of their goaltending depth chart.
According to Daily Faceoff, the Rangers are handing the keys to the crease to 24-year-old Dylan Garand. He will serve as the team's No. 1 goaltender at least until Joonas Korpisalo is ready to return to the active roster.
Handing the starting job of an Original Six franchise to a 24-year-old is the hockey equivalent of letting a student driver merge onto the Cross Bronx Expressway during rush hour. You just have to close your eyes, grip the dashboard, and hope the bumpers hold up.
The Rangers were cruising early with a 4-2 win over Utah and a 5-2 handling of the New York Islanders. But reality bit back in a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on October 9, exposing just how thin the margin for error is right now.
For anyone looking at the betting board, this completely scrambles the math. You cannot price a team the same way when their net is being guarded by a guy suddenly thrust into the spotlight of Madison Square Garden. The game totals and moneyline odds are going to look like a random number generator until Garand proves he can handle heavy NHL traffic.
The immediate test comes fast. The Vancouver Canucks roll into town on October 11. We are about to find out if Garand is a hidden gem ready for the moment, or if the Rangers are just trying to survive the week without giving up a touchdown.