Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. Get well soon CZAR IGOR – and where unfortunately in this particular situation – and “soon” won’t be anytime until the latter months of 2027.
As Ranger fans, then our deepest fears became reality at around noon Saturday, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet had broken the news that none of us wanted to hear – CZAR IGOR’s 2026-27 season is over.
And in the event that you’ve been living under a rock and have no clue what I’m talking about right now, then check out my NYR/WAS GAME REVIEW blog from last night, where during it, I even speculated on what the Rangers could do in the interim at the goaltender position:
NYR/WSH 10/9 Review: Blueshirts Lose To Caps; Perhaps Lose CZAR IGOR For a Long Stretch Too, Rangerstown Awaiting CZAR IGOR’s Diagnosis; Down To Two Rookie Goalies (Hello Again Jonathan Quick?), Next Man Up; “From The Waiver Wire to Starting Goalie: The Dylan Garand Lifetime Movie”, Not A Great Night For The Power-Play, Beaudoin, The FAT CATS or For Anyone, What’s Next, M$GN & More
The five stages of grief, which first became a thing in 1969 (as coined by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross), are, and in order: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
When the word first spread throughout Rangerstown, USA that CZAR IGOR had been lost for the season following his self-inflicted injury from Friday night in D.C. – then I felt all five stages of grief – but not in the order that Kübler-Ross originally intended.
I started at depression.
The Rangers have played six games this season and for the next 78, they’ll be without their elite franchise goaltender – and a netminder that’s arguably the best in the entire league today.
I then went to denial – where I just hope that Friedman was talking to a bad source. Of course, Friedman is always accurate and his report was then soon followed up by everyone else.
Anger came next for me – as what else can go wrong for this franchise – you know, one that not only has a poor Stanley Cup success rate (four cups in a hundred years equals 4%), but a Blueshirts’ team that just came off one of their worst seasons in franchise history too.
Thankfully, I finally did reach the bargaining stage as well, because, and as you’ll see below – I do have faith in Dylan Garand.
But just to say it here, then Garand isn’t just some ordinary 24-year-old rookie – as he does have 148 games of AHL experience (65–57–18, 2.90 GAA, .901 save percentage and 9 shutouts).
He also has had some brief NHL experience too, including posting 1 shutout in his five big league starts.
As I write these words, I’m now at the acceptance stage – as after all – and I can’t do anything about this terrible CZAR IGOR predicament outside of accepting what’s done is done.
For the Blueshirts, then should they desire not only to salvage their season, but to blow away all expectations too, then they also need to reach the acceptance stage – and beginning this Sunday night when they host the lowly Vancouver Canucks.
As of this writing, and just to fast-forward to what Sullivan said after Saturday’s practice (full video and recap included below) – and we don’t know what exactly CZAR IGOR’s injury is.
All we know is that #31 is done for the season.
Speculation about the worst injury in CZAR IGOR’s career, his eighth since joining the Rangers six-years ago (and where now, you have to start worrying about his long-term health – and if he’ll ever be the same after this injury), remains rampant – as everyone in the hockey world has their ideas – including a torn ACL or MCL, a broken ankle, a damaged knee, etc.
In an eerie comparison, then Andy Francess unearthed the last injury from Mike Richter’s legendary career – and an injury that looks very similar to the one that CZAR IGOR just sustained:
This is pretty insane. A nearly identical push-off into the far post at MSG ended Richter’s year (and career). https://t.co/kMVgJTND3e
— Andy Francess (@AndyFrancess) October 10, 2026
While obviously, the CZAR IGOR news was the “crown jewel” on Saturday (ugh); but elsewhere and the Rangers made more roster announcements:
— Joonas Korpisalo is expected to be out for at least another month.
— Joe Veleno, injured in the game against the Mammoth, will be out for at least three months.
— Cole Beaudoin was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack. (I called that one last night – I’ll give myself a pat on the back.)
— Juusso Parssinen and Spencer Martin are being recalled.
— There’s also an outside chance that Beaudoin is returned to the Rangers prior to puck drop Sunday, as the Pizza Man GM, Chris Drury, straightens everything out in order to make the team cap complaint.
During last night’s GAME REVIEW blog, I offered some suggestions and ideas on what the Rangers could do.
Admittedly, when I wrote those words – then I was expecting CZAR IGOR to miss anywhere from two-weeks to two-months – and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that he’d be lost for the entire season.
Now that we know the deal, and where there’s no point in crying about this again (even if I’m crying inside), and for now, the Rangers are handing the keys of the barrel to Dylan Garand.
It’s not fair to compare Garand to CZAR IGOR. It’s apples and oranges.
That said, and Garand, and again, as noted last night, now has the biggest opportunity of his career.
(And you can expect to see the words “Garand” and “opportunity” all over Rangerstown, USA for the next several days too.)
No one will ever accuse me of being an optimist, but to go against my pessimistic nature – and I do think that Garand will work out.
After all, he does wear #33 – a good omen:
As the biggest Cam Talbot fan in the world (outside of his family members), and where did you hear, after his win for the Blue Jackets on Friday night, he then became the first goalie in NHL history to ever win games for nine separate franchises – then I feel like I have the right to make the Garand/Talbot comparisons.
And I’m sure that elsewhere across Rangerstown, USA – and others are doing the same.
If you recall, then back on January 31st, 2015, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, and Henrik Lundqvist took a puck to the neck. He then went on to miss the next ten-weeks of the season with a vascular injury (sprained blood vessel).
Enter Cam Talbot.
Talbot, only on the roster because Marty Biron had retired the season before, then went on one of the best runs that a back-up goalie has ever had in recent NHL history – and where afterwards – parlayed this run into big money in Edmonton – which is where he spent the bulk of his prime years as a starter.
Talbot, who started 23 of the team’s next 25 games following the Lundqvist injury (Mackenzie Skapski, “The Buffalo Killer,” took the other two games), went 16–4–3, posted a .929 save percentage, had a 2.16 GAA and finished with two shutouts.
Due to Talbot’s success – and the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy that season – and where they sealed the deal at “The Pebble” in New Jersey.
I won’t rehash all of this for the 786789697896767896th time – but yeah – once Lundqvist was ready-and-able – and I would’ve kept Talbot in net for that playoff run.
That’s not what happened – and why go any further on this – as I’ve said it all before.
Lundqvist, who finished his career with three Eastern Conference Final berths, one Stanley Cup Final appearance and a Vezina trophy, watched his successor, CZAR IGOR, hit nearly all of these milestones in one-third of the time.
The only thing missing from CZAR IGOR’s ledger right now is a Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Similarly, and both Talbot and Garand have stuff in common. Both goalies spent parts of five seasons in the AHL and where “THE GOALBUSTER” logged 115 games in Connecticut.
Talbot was also slightly two-years older than Garand when he made his NHL debut too.
The Cam Talbot story, where he parlayed his back-up run when Lundqvist went down into a lengthy NHL career (at 39-years-old, he’s now the oldest goalie in the league today – and has made nearly $37M during his tenure too – not too shabby), should be an inspiration for Garand – and for Ranger fans too.
This brief history lesson aside, then if you just solely focus on Garand, then he hasn’t done anything to discourage you.
It’s not fair to compare him to CZAR IGOR, so I do believe that fans have to limit their expectations a bit.
For starters, then Garand doesn’t have the puckhandling ability that CZAR IGOR possesses.
That said – and Garand has been more than serviceable, and better than that – looks like he belongs.
He’s put his time in at the minor league level.
It’s just his natural progression to be at the NHL level – and now he has a chance to take this opportunity and showcase himself to not only the Rangers – but to the entire league too.
Not too shabby for a guy that the other 31-teams in the league could’ve acquired for nothing in exchange just two weeks ago.
As far as how the rest of this season goes down, then the starter’s job is Garand’s to lose.
Trying to project what could happen down the line should Garand falter is a fruitless and a not-worth-my-time effort.
Positive thinking, am I right?
I’m rooting for him and I truly believe that he has the tools to succeed.
As far as who backs him up?
Well that’s where my confidence takes a huge dip.
As noted last night, then Spencer Martin, the top goalie for the Wolf Pack, had been out.
However, and as mentioned above, then Martin is ready to return – perfect timing for both he and the Rangers – and especially with Korpisalo out for another month.
The Blueshirts will have a ton of cap space to work with following all of the events from Saturday, and for a quick rundown, then check out this:
The #NYR sent down Beaudoin & called up Parssinen, bringing them closer to the cap, & then put Veleno on LTIR.
Getting closer to the cap increased the amount they can now exceed the cap by to $1.1M.
If they add Shesterkin to LTIR, they can exceed the cap by an additional $3.97M. However, if he’s placed on Season Ending LTIR, that increases to his $11.6M Cap Hit.
https://t.co/4yeuRIgLu7
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 10, 2026
As a rough estimate/ballpark figure, then Drury could soon be working with something like $12.5M in cap space.
Mr. America, Hellebuyck, who put the Jets in a bad bind when he waited until the start of the season when informing them that he no longer has any desire to play in Winnipeg, is currently collecting dust in Manitoba.
I know that many fans are clamoring for Hellebuyck, as he would be a perfect replacement for CZAR IGOR, but lost in all of that are these two huge things:
One, Hellebuyck, with an annual salary of $8.5M, has a contract that runs through the 2030-31 season.
In other words, and assuming that CZAR IGOR can play next season, then the Rangers would have two starters on the payroll – and for a combined cap-hit of $20M.
So yeah, that can’t happen.
Two, Winnipeg isn’t just going to hand over Hellebuyck for a late round draft pick. In order for the two teams to do business, then Drury is going to have to give up something significant in return – and really – the Rangers aren’t exactly a projected Stanley Cup contender this season – so why part with any valuable assets for a short-term fix – and especially if the much cheaper Garand can be that fix?
Furthermore, then why would Hellebuyck want to go to the Rangers?
After all, he’s already made it clear that he wants to go to a contender.
And why would he want to go to a team that will have to trade him come the end of the season, when anticipating the return of CZAR IGOR?
If a team like Florida or Carolina was looking for a quick fix in net, then I could see Hellebuyck entertaining the idea of joining a team short-term for a crack at the Cup.
But the Rangers?
I just don’t see it happening – although I wouldn’t be against it if it did transpire!
As talked about last night, then I think the most obvious veteran goalie option would be Jonathan Quick – who still remains with the organization as the director of goaltending.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan – and she’s reporting that this idea is already being discussed.
While Martin will be the back-up goalie on Sunday – I’m just hoping that’s a short-term thing – as I saw enough of him last season.
I also don’t think that the Rangers will try to go with two young rookies, barely above the drinking age, thus eliminating Callum Tung from the equation.
Another veteran goalie that could be a possibility is former two-time Stanley Cup champion, Matt Murray – and a netminder that won both of his championships with Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh.
Currently, Murray is in the Nashville organization – and to be specific – with their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee.
Making Murray attractive is that his $1.5M cap-hit contract expires at the end of the season – thus making him a perfect “quick fix” back-up candidate.
(And as I write these words, Murray was called-up to the Predators on Saturday. The end result? a 3-2 shootout loss to the Senators.)
The Rangers, who still have 78-games left to play this season in the now CZAR IGOR A.D. Era, shouldn’t be ruled out just yet.
Granted, it doesn’t look promising, but if Garand continues to play well, then we won’t have to worry about the goaltending position that much.
The key to the Rangers’ success is what has doomed them before – their FAT CATS.
Six games into the season, and bottom-six waiver wire claim, Eeli Tolvanen, has as many goals as J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Dorofeyev COMBINED (3).
Yes, it’s a small sample size, but even if Garand plays out, then the Blueshirts won’t win many games if their Big Buck Blueshirts can’t score goals.
These three forwards, $27.5M in total salary, are being out-matched in the goal scoring department by their bottom-sixer – and a guy who is earning just a mere $1.5M.
Furthermore, these three also need to start scoring goals on the power-play, as the Rangers’ recent four-game winning streak masked the lack of man-up offense.
Again, it’s still early, so these goals, or so I hope, should come.
Without question, losing CZAR IGOR just sucks – there’s no way around that.
But it’s now up to Miller and Mika to shoulder the load.
They need to do what CZAR IGOR always does – carry the team and consistently carry the team.
For the alleged “Retooling Rangers,” then they need all of their FAT CATS to step up.
And if they can do that, then rather wasting time thinking about Hellebuyck (as noted earlier – this won’t happen anyway), then maybe they can think about bolstering their forward ranks – and whether it be Dylan Larkin or someone else.
Heck, even Vladimir Tarasenko can be had right now – and even if it seems like he’s biding his time for a Florida return.
The Rangers, following the announcements of all of their roster news and injury information, practiced on Saturday afternoon.
With Beaudoin assigned to Hartford, and the Wolf Pack call-ups not in-attendance, then the Rangers were left with only one spare (Scott Morrow) – and an emergency back-up goalie too.
We also had a line-up change, not related to injury, too – as Dorofeyev, who has been struggling to score with Captain Miller and Tye Kartye, was promoted to the first line.
I understood Sully’s logic here, but I also looked at this as a demotion for Lafreniere – who among the FAT CAT forwards, has been the most productive (4 goals).
Elsewhere, and rather this sticks or not – and Matt Rempe skated as the team’s fourth line center.
Here’s a look at what we could possibly see on Sunday night:
FIRST LINE: Perreault/Mika/Dorofeyev
SECOND LINE: Kartye/Miller/Lafreniere
THIRD LINE: Cuylle/Laba/Tolvanen
FOURTH LINE: Bjorkstrand/Rempe/Chmelar
FIRST PAIR: Gavrikov/Fox
SECOND PAIR: Pettersson/Durzi
THIRD PAIR: Smits/Schneider
STARTER: Garand
BACK-UP: Martin
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: Morrow and Parssinen
LTIR: Korpisalo and Veleno
SEASON ENDING LTIR: CZAR IGOR
After the practice, both Sullivan and the players addressed the media.
In case you didn’t see these press conferences, then here you go:
Here are the quick-and-dirty, black-and-white, highlights:
— Again, Sullivan didn’t say what CZAR IGOR’s injury specifically is. I am aware about HIPPA laws and player privacy – but I think the Rangers should’ve thrown us a bone here and tell us what the injury is. Then again, perhaps the injury is so severe that it could be career-threatening – and where the speculation will only stop once the Blueshirts address it.
— On the situation itself, Sully said, “I couldn’t be more disappointed. I know how much playing means to him. He’s one of the cornerstones of the organization. He loves hockey. He’s in good hands from a medical standpoint. We’ll do everything to get him back as soon as we can.”
— Sullivan said he talked to Lafreniere about his temporary demotion. The head coach was also quick to praise #13, adding that he thinks Lafreniere will be able to produce and help teammates anywhere in the line-up.
— Sullivan, when speaking about Garand, said, “Dylan is a great kid. He’s a good goalie. He’s made timely saves. He’s given our team a chance to win each and every time he’s been in the net. We think he’s very capable and he’s going to get an opportunity.”
— Garand, while being extremely alert and gracious when praising CZAR IGOR (but let’s face it – deep down – and this is the best thing to ever happen for him – INJURIES CREATE OPPORTUNITIES), after calling CZAR IGOR “our best player,” added “I’m very ready. I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder for how my past has been [being waived, Drury trading for Korpisalo]. I’m excited for the opportunity to go battle for these guys. I want to work my nuts off and keep winning. I feel ready for sure.
— Zibanejad, who has to step up and score goals, said, “He’s [CZAR IGOR] is our friend, our teammate. You feel bad that they have to go through it. It’s a tough situation, obviously for us, but mostly for him. We’ve got [Garand] now so we’ve just got to rally around him and keep building on what we’ve done at the start [of this season].
As noted last night, then up next are the Canucks on Sunday.
To quote Mike Francesa, “I will be in duh bildin’, ugh-okay!”
Since I will be in-attendance, then a NYR/VAN GAME REVIEW may not come until Monday, if at all!
Let’s see how the night goes!
My final remarks?
Well your favorite segment and mine, you know…
PLUGS TIME! (Buy a book and support my Rangers’ induced therapy bills. After all, I don’t run ads on this site!)
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My four-volume set of books, “One Game at a Time – A Season to Remember,” is a game-by-game recount of the Rangers 2021-22 campaign.
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If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:
Don’t forget to order my four-volume set of books, “Tricks of the Trade!”
If you don’t order through me, all four volumes are now available on Amazon.com
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Thanks for reading.
LET’S GO RANGERS!
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
