The New York Rangers will return with excellent news from the 4-Nations Face-Off break. Starter Igor Shesterkin has shared he expects to be wholesome earlier than Saturday’s recreation in opposition to Buffalo, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic. The Rangers made the move to again his declare by reassigning short-term backup goaltender Dylan Garand. New York has additionally assigned defenseman Zachary Jones to the minors on a conditioning mortgage. Matthew Robertson has been recalled in his place.
Shesterkin will return from an upper-body harm sustained in New York’s Feb. 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He performed by means of everything of that matchup however obtained a designation of out one-to-two weeks earlier than the Rangers visited Columbus the subsequent day — in what was their final recreation earlier than the break. Shesterkin was amid a chilly spell main as much as his harm, posting a 1-4 file and .835 save proportion in his final 5 video games. The efficiency spurred what was in any other case a fantastic January for the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner. He recorded a 6-0-1 file and .948 save proportion in his first seven video games of the month, serving to the Rangers discover stable footing within the Jap Convention Wild Card race. The Rangers are nonetheless three factors exterior of playoff standing, placing the strain on Shesterkin to bounce again to type after an prolonged break.
Garand crammed in because the backup in Shesterkin’s lone absence. The 22-year-old has been one of many AHL’s greatest younger netminders this yr — ranked second in save proportion (.914) and third in wins (13) amongst U23 goalies with a minimum of 20 video games. It’s been a giant step up for Garand — who claimed the AHL beginning function two seasons in the past however hasn’t but posted a year-long save proportion above .900.
Jones will be part of Garand within the transfer to the AHL, seeking to get again to match form. He spent 18 video games out of the lineup by means of December and January, with a pair of scoreless spot begins in February marking his first video games because the vacation break. Jones has served as New York’s seventh defenseman for your entire season — a task that’s led him to eight factors, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-two in 28 video games. New York will flip in direction of Robertson to fill that in Jones’ short-term project. Robertson has 18 factors and 47 penalty minutes in 47 AHL video games this season and would make his NHL debut ought to he discover a means into the Rangers lineup.
