Igor Shesterkin has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2026-27 season with a lower-body injury suffered in the New York Rangers’ 3-1 defeat by the Washington Capitals, leaving the club with an immediate shortage of experienced goaltending only six games into the campaign. The Rangers had started 4-2-0, but now face a decision over how they cover for their first-choice netminder while Joonas Korpisalo is also unavailable.
The Hockey News reported that the Rangers announced Shesterkin’s season-ending absence on Saturday after he was injured in Friday’s game against Washington. The 30-year-old had made five appearances before the setback, recording a .927 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average, according to the report.
Those figures underline why the injury is particularly significant for a Rangers side attempting to build on its early start. The reported sequence is that Shesterkin was injured in the defeat by Washington on Friday before the Rangers announced his season-ending absence on Saturday.
Korpisalo injury narrows the Rangers’ options
The Rangers’ situation is complicated by the absence of Korpisalo, who The Hockey News said is sidelined for the next month. With both established goaltenders unavailable, Dylan Garand is the next option identified in the report.
Garand, 24, has appeared in five NHL games. That limited record means the Rangers would be asking a player with little top-level experience to take on a much larger role if he is retained as the main starter. The report said the club could also look within its system, where 31-year-old Spencer Martin and 22-year-old Callum Tung were named as possible alternatives.
Martin played six NHL games last season, according to The Hockey News, while Tung had made two appearances for the Hartford Wolf Pack this season. Martin’s six appearances last season were only one more than Garand’s five NHL games, although Garand’s total is a career figure and Martin’s relates to last season. The report said Tung’s early AHL figures were a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage, but those numbers come from only two outings and do not establish how he would perform in the NHL.
With Shesterkin out and Korpisalo sidelined for the next month, the Rangers have two established goaltenders unavailable. Korpisalo’s reported one-month absence means any short-term internal solution would need to cover a sustained period rather than one isolated match.
Why the loss carries competitive weight
Shesterkin’s five appearances represented a small sample, but his early figures were a .927 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average across five appearances.
The Hockey News said the Rangers had improved their depth at forward and defence this season, but assessed goaltending as the area least able to withstand a major absence. That is an assessment rather than a confirmed outcome, yet the available depth explains the concern: Garand has five NHL appearances, Martin played six last season, and Tung’s recent form has come in the AHL.
The report also raised the possibility that New York could seek outside help, although it did not identify a firm move or say that a deal was close. Connor Hellebuyck was mentioned as a goaltender seeking a new destination, but The Hockey News cautioned that the Rangers might not possess the trade assets required by Winnipeg. Retired goaltender Jonathan Quick, who now serves as the Rangers’ director of goaltending development, was also mentioned by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan as a potential possibility, not as a confirmed option.
The Hockey News also reported that Rangers general manager Chris Drury has Shesterkin’s $11.5 million in salary-cap space available to use. However, the report cautioned that having that space would not necessarily make it straightforward to find a goaltender able to replace Shesterkin’s contribution.
For now, the confirmed development is simpler and more pressing: the Rangers must play the rest of the season without Shesterkin, while their regular backup remains injured. How the Rangers address the shortage could be important to their attempt to sustain the 4-2-0 start.