Three Off-Season Goaltending Options Emerge for the New York Rangers

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Wade Messier
May 30, 2023 (1:56 PM)

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The Rangers fell victim to an untimely exit from the playoffs this year, and as a result, have made some massive decisions regarding their future. While they have a pretty big decision to make in regard to their head coach, another, smaller decision to be made is who will backup Igor Shesterkin next season. We now know some names the Rangers could consider, and some of them are unexpected.

Rangers Interested in Former Stanley Cup Champion

If you told Rangers fans ten years ago that they'd have Jonathan Quick on their team, many would assume they've assembled the greatest goaltending tandem ever between Quick and Lundqvist. While Quick is no longer his superstar self, and Lundqvist has retired from professional hockey, the Rangers could still have interest in Quick as a backup to their young star Igor Shesterkin.

Quick is a veteran who knows what it takes to win, and would be a great mentor/guide to Shesterkin as they try to win a Stanley Cup together.

Nedeljkovic Could Bounce Back With Rags

If the Rangers want a younger option who still holds potential as an NHL goalie, Alex Nedeljkovic of the Detroit Red Wings could be an intriguing option. After an impressive rookie campaign with Carolina a few years ago, Nedeljkovic was traded to Detroit, where he's struggled to cement himself as a mainstay NHL starter.

Detroit placed Nedeljkovic on waivers earlier this season, and he cleared. Clearly, no team wanted to touch Nedeljkovic at a higher cap hit, but for the right price, he could be an interesting backup option.

Big Save Dave in New York?

David Rittich has been nothing more than an alright NHL backup for the past few seasons, but that might just be what New York needs. Shesterkin has proved that he can handle big loads of games, so New York doesn't need a 1B or a tandem goalie behind Shesterkin.

A backup like Rittich may be exactly what New York is looking for, and shouldn't cost them more than the league minimum.

No matter who New York ends up signing to backup Shesterkin, they're going to be getting a good goalie who can win them games. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

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