DETROIT — Dylan Garand capped what he called the "craziest week" of his life with his first NHL shutout, stopping 22 shots to lift the New York Rangers to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night in Detroit.
The 24-year-old was recalled Thursday after Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and made his first start since being waived at the end of training camp. He stood tall when Detroit pressed with an onslaught of shots in the second period, becoming the eighth Rangers rookie goaltender in franchise history to record his first career shutout within four games or less. "I'm proud of myself for the way I just kind of left it out there," Garand said. "Like I mentioned to you guys throughout training camp, it was out of my control. So I just focused on what I could control, I did that. Obviously, what happened happened, and it is what it is. Just happy to be back here. It was a great win tonight."
Garand was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft and logged 150 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League. He got his first NHL opportunity late in the 2025-26 season, going 2-0-1 with a 1.62 goals against average and a .948 save percentage in three starts, then signed a two-year contract extension at the start of the offseason as the heir to the retired Jonathan Quick behind Igor Shesterkin. The plan shifted July 1 when New York acquired veteran Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins. Korpisalo held the edge through a two-week camp battle for the backup job, and the Rangers kept him and waived Garand, who cleared waivers and reported to Hartford after buying an apartment there. "I had a number of conversations with him when the decision was made to send him to Hartford," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "He knows that we believe in him. I don't know that I need to say anything else. He's a good, solid goalie, and we believe in him."
"It speaks volumes for his character," Sullivan said about Garand responding the way he did. "He's a good person, first and foremost. He loves hockey. You can see it — I mean, I can see it every time I see him walk through the door, and the way he works on his game. And he's a fierce competitor. He wants to play in the NHL. I understand that. That's one of the things we love about him. He's battling. He's controlling what he can, and it's hard. Pro sports is competitive, and things don't always go your way. You've got to be able to work your way through the ebbs and flows of a career. The thing I love about Dylan is he controls those things that are within his power. He's got a great attitude. His effort is always where it needs to be. I really have a lot of admiration for him — for how he handles his circumstances. He's a great kid. I was thrilled for him that he got a shutout tonight."
The performance complicates New York's goaltending picture once Korpisalo is activated from injured reserve. Sullivan floated carrying three goaltenders during training camp before the team waived Garand, and the club could revisit that structure if it fears Garand would not clear waivers a second time. Waiving Korpisalo seems unlikely after the Rangers gave up a fourth-round pick and a prospect to acquire him this summer, leaving Garand to either stick with New York or return to Hartford as the Wolf Pack starter if he clears again.