Rangers ‘know what needs to be done’ to win without Shesterkin

NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers are saying all the right things about being ready to move on without Igor Shesterkin, about being ready to play their first of 78 regular-season games this season without their best and most indispensable player.

That happens Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden, two nights since Shesterkin, the Rangers goalie, went down with a season-ending lower-body injury in Washington, the details of which have not been revealed by the team.

"This is a situation I feel like not a lot needs to be said," Rangers captain J.T. Miller said. "Everybody in here knows what needs to be done. Everybody has to pull a little more weight around here. I said the other night he's one of the pillars of our organization and this hockey team, and a leader for us. So, you know, it's devastating to lose a guy like him, outside of how elite he is as a goalie, what he means to be a teammate and a leader here. There's a lot to be pulled from every guy in here to make up for what we're missing. That being said, we feel really confident in the way we're playing, and we feel like it doesn't matter who is in net."

The goalie in net Sunday, and for the foreseeable future unless the Rangers make a trade, is rookie Dylan Garand, who on his NHL resume has five appearances, four starts, three wins, a 1.31 goals-against average, .954 save percentage and one shutout.

While Garand's numbers look great, albeit in a small sample size, three factors can't be overlooked:

1. Over the summer, the Rangers clearly didn't believe in Garand's ability to be ready for NHL backup duty, which is why they acquired goalie Joonas Korpisalo in a trade with the Boston Bruins on July 1.

2. Two weeks ago, days before opening night in Boston, the Rangers put Garand on waivers for the purpose to be sent to Hartford of the American Hockey League.

3. Garand cleared waivers, which means the remaining 31 teams in the League didn't think they had or could make room for Garand on their goaltending depth chart.

Garand was quickly brought back to New York for opening night because Korpisalo sustained a lower-body injury that would keep him out week-to-week.

"These decisions aren't easy, but I wouldn't misconstrue that to suggest that we don't believe in him and we don't think that he's a capable guy," Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said of Garand. "The business of the game sometimes forces hockey operations to make very difficult decisions. I think that was the circumstance. I know how Dylan has strong aspirations to establish himself as an NHL goaltender and he's going to get a great opportunity now."

Garand on Saturday described himself as "very ready" and talked about having a "chip on my shoulder for how my past has been."

He has also delivered when called upon for the Rangers.

He had a 22-save shutout in a 2-0 win at the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 2 and made 11 saves on 12 shots in relief of Shesterkin in a 3-1 loss in Washington on Friday. He was 2-0-1 with a 1.62 GAA and .948 save percentage in three starts last season.

"I think Dylan has a quiet confidence," Sullivan said. "He knows he's a very capable goalie and I think that confidence is important for a player coming into this circumstance. He believes in himself. I know he does. He also knows that we believe in him. We think he's a very capable guy. We felt that way a couple of weeks ago when we had to make very difficult decisions."

That said, belief and confidence in Garand can't cloud the massive blow losing Shesterkin is to the Rangers.

On top of being elite at stopping the puck, Shesterkin is arguably the best puck-handling goalie in the NHL too.

He already has a goal and an assist this season, but beyond that he regularly will go back for the puck and lead the Rangers' breakouts, thwarting opposing forechecks with his ability to cleanly handle the puck and deliver it up the ice to the defensemen and sometimes forwards.

His ability to handle the puck does at times fundamentally change how teams forecheck the Rangers and where they place the puck on dump-ins.

"'Shesty' might be the best that I've seen play the puck, so obviously teams might think a little bit differently," Rangers defenseman Sean Durzi said. "I know it's a pre-scout and every goalie who plays the puck well just keep it away from him."

Durzi said now the key to playing with Garand instead of Shesterkin will be good communication.

"Sometimes 'Shesty' would surprise us and make a play, which I've never seen that before, but my whole career you make a call for the goalie," Durzi said. "You make it easy on him. You make it early. You race to position. We're going to do our best to have good communication with him."

They'll likely get more and more in sync over time. They'll have to, because Shesterkin is not coming back.

The cold reality has set in and now the Rangers have to do all the right things too.

"Obviously, listen, Igor, he's an elite player and he's not an easy guy to replace, but having said that it's going to provide opportunities for others to step up and we believe we have capable people," Sullivan said. "That's how we look at it. We can't control that scenario; all we can control is how we react."