The New York Rangers have been battling injuries all season, with their goalie depth being decimated.
Dylan Garand , who didn't make the team out of training camp and cleared waivers to join the Hartford Wolf Pack, was called up days into the regular season after Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with what was later revealed to be a foot infection.
Shortly after Korpisalo was placed on IR, Igor Shesterkin suffered what the team deemed a season-ending lower-body injury. That thrust Garand into the No. 1 role, and he has appeared in 11 consecutive games for the team out of necessity.
However, he could be getting some help in the near future. That is because Korpisalo, who started skating on his own recently , is starting to ramp up his activity.
According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post Sports, Korpisalo has been sent down to Hartford so that he can begin working on his conditioning. He is expected to be in goal tonight when the team faces the Hershey Bears.
After the game, the team is going to reevaluate things and determine what the next step will be. As Walker noted, Nov. 7 was the roundabout date that was being targeted for his return to the team. That could mean making a start that evening against the Seattle Kraken or on Nov. 9 against the Edmonton Oilers, which would be an incredibly difficult spot to return in.
This is a major development for the Rangers. Finding a capable 1B to Garand is imperative if they are going to get their season on track. They have been afforded some grace because of their schedule, with only a single back-to-back set thus far and ample breaks in between games.
Korpisalo is who Chris Drury identified as the best option to become the backup to Shesterkin after Jonathan Quick announced his retirement near the end of last season. It wasn't a decision many people agreed with, taking on his contract and trading assets to the Boston Bruins to acquire him, but the veteran netminder will soon have the opportunity to prove everyone wrong.
He should be a sizable upgrade over James Reimer, who was signed and put into a brutal spot starting against the Los Angeles Kings, but made it through only one period before he was pulled.
In his career, Korpisalo has a .900 save percentage and 3.06 goals-against average, starting 302 games and appearing in 334 total. If he can perform near that level, New York will be thrilled; they know neither he nor Garand are at Shesterkin's level, but just league-average play in net will keep them in the mix in the Metropolitan Division.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/rangers/onsi as Joonas Korpisalo Taking Major Step in Return to NY Rangers .
