Earlier today, the Rangers recalled goalie Dylan Garand from Hartford.

Throughout the preseason, the former 2020 fourth round pick has looked good. The 21-year-old from Victoria, British Columbia, has come on in relief in two games, only allowing one goal on 19 shots.

It could be that the Rangers want to take another look at him. They play their final two games of the preseason on Wednesday and Thursday. With it being a back-to-back situation, they likely brought him back up with that in mind.

Already, there’s been speculation about Jonathan Quick due to an uneven performance in preseason. However, it’s probably too soon to draw any conclusions.

It’s not like they’ve seen Garand face a heavy workload. The last thing the organization wants to do is rush a young netminder who’s entering his second pro season. The reality is that he played in 32 games in 2022-23 for the Wolf Pack, posting a 3.01 goals-against-average (GAA) and an .894 save percentage. Those are hardly the kind of numbers to conclude that he’s ready to play in the NHL.

While Garand played well during the Calder Cup Playoffs last spring, he needs to spend more time in the AHL. Unless the 37-year-old Quick decides to retire, it’s highly unlikely that Garand will be the backup goalie this season. It doesn’t make sense. His development is the most crucial thing moving forward.

If it’s accurate that Quick hasn’t been razor sharp in the exhibition games, then neither have the younger core that features established stars Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider. That’s why it’s training camp. They’re still getting acclimated to new coach Peter Laviolette’s system. Hopefully, they’ll respond well to his criticism following a lackluster game against the Islanders this past weekend.

Jonathan Quick has an excellent resume, which includes two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, and 375 career victories. The first 370 came with the Los Angeles Kings, where he became the all-time franchise leader in wins (370) and shutouts (57).

Unfortunately, his career in Hollywood came to a bitter end last season when he was traded to the Blue Jackets for a package that included defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo. Columbus received a first round pick for Gavrikov and a third round pick as part of the deal.

Quick is entering his 18th year in the league. If there are questions as to his capability to fill the role of backup goalie behind established starter Igor Shesterkin, that’s best left for Rangers Team President and GM Chris Drury to decide on with Laviolette. When they opted not to re-sign Jaroslav Halak this past summer to bring in Quick instead, that was an organizational decision.

The Rangers face the Devils tomorrow night in Newark at 7 EST. They will then host the Bruins on Thursday at 7:30 EST.

Derek

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