When the New York Rangers signed veteran goalie James Reimer to a one-year contract Sunday, it was not an indictment on the play of rookie Dylan Garand. If anything, it’s a move made to better support the 24-year-old rookie, who allowed 10 goals combined in his past two starts.
What Reimer’s addition to the roster does is help the Rangers not over-use Garand and have him wear down mentally and/or physically. Since Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending knee injury Oct. 9, Garand started seven games in a row. A big part of that is that Garand played well for the most part, plus there weren’t any games on back-to-back nights in that stretch.
The other part to the equation is that the Rangers didn’t trust journeyman backup Spencer Martin, who began the season fourth on New York’s goalie depth chart, to start any of those games. Martin returned to Hartford on Sunday, after he made one relief appearance for the Rangers.
So, with Joonas Korpisalo still sidelined at least until mid-November due to a foot infection, the Rangers couldn’t run the risk of burning Garand out. That was something coach Mike SUllivan admitted was a real concern.
“The goaltending position is a unique position, it’s the only guy that’s on the ice the whole time. Even though the puck may be down the opposite end of the rink, there’s a still a focus of attention that’s required with that position,” Sullivan explained Sunday. “I don’t think that there’s any question that’s one of the reasons why we try and manage workloads with goalies to try and set them up for success.”
Of course, playing better in front of their goalie also sets Garand — or Reimer, or whoever is in net — up better for success, too. And the Rangers defensive structure hasn’t been nearly as consistent nor as good as it was earlier in the season. That’s most evident on the road, where the Rangers are 1-5-1 this season and winless in their past five outings (0-4-1). including a 5-4 loss in Toronto to the Maple Leafs on Thursday and a 7-4 defeat at the Ottawa Senators (with two empty-net goals at the end) on Saturday.
“We try to look at it objectively and assess it realistically … and the way I look at it is Dylan making the saves he’s supposed to make that gives us a chance to win and then maybe make a few that’s not supposed to make,” Sullivan shared. “Some of the looks we gave [the Senators on Saturday] were pretty high quality. We have to do a better job in front of him.”
In nine games (eight starts) this season, Garand is 4-4-1 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. His stats came back down to earth after a blazing start, and following a terrific three-game cameo late last season. Now, he must dig in to the grind of the 84-game season, especially during this stretch until Korpisalo is healthy enough to help him out on Broadway.
Sullivan said that Korpisalo began skating on his own this past weekend, so that’s a positive piece of news. But the 31-year-old is a ways away from returning. That means it’s up to Garand to shoulder the load, but now he’s got someone to support him better, someone with 539 games of NHL experience, who played well last season in a backup role with the Senators.
That’s why signing Reimer is a good piece of business by the Rangers, and not an indictment on their rookie goalie.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Here’s the story about how “old man” Reimer turned in a gem for Hartford on Friday on his quick route back to the NHL.
John Kreiser breaks down the Rangers week ahead, which includes five days without a game at one point, not to mention visits from some familiar faces on Monday and the best player in the world on Sunday.
Tom Castro analyzes how the Rangers can unlock the offensive potential of forward Eeli Tolvanen, and need to do it soon.
NHL news and rumors
Carolina Hockey Now: Woooaaah! Raise your hand if you saw this one coming: holdout defenseman Alexander Nikishin signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Hurricanes to end a stalemate and remove his name from the tops of many NHL trade boards.
NHL.com: Jacob Fowler, Gabe Perreault’s college teammate at BC, became the youngest goalie to start and win an outdoor NHL game, when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at the Heritage Classic.
Montreal Hockey Now: As Fowler starred in the Heritage Classic, there were reports that fellow Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault is roughly two weeks away from returning after an extended injury absence.
NHL.com: How about Quinn Hughes, booed in his return to Vancouver with the Minnesota Wild, scoring a goal for his 500th career point against his former team, the Canucks.
Daily Faceoff: Brutal news for the Seattle Kraken: forward Jared McCann is out 10 weeks with a lower-body injury.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Connor Hellebuyck practices with the Devils on Monday for the first time since arriving in a blockbuster trade with the Jets last week. The debate rages about when he’ll make his Devils debut, with some believing that the star goalie could play in one end of their back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
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