The most important things the Rangers need to do are put out fires and develop their youth. So why on earth is a Rangers prospect in the media for being embarrassed about not getting a promotion? And more importantly, why is he absolutely right?
It all starts with this excellent interview/feature by Vince Mercogliano in The Athletic. In the article, Garand stops short of complaining but openly shares that he is confused as to why he hasn’t been given the opportunity to start an NHL game in net. Here’s how the Rangers messed up Dylan Garand: He’s a solid prospect, albeit not elite, who has gotten his AHL reps (and then some). Garand is a former AHL All-Star who has seen ups and downs and been ignored by the organization every step of the way.
When Igor Shesterkin went down injured, the question was whether Jonathan Quick or Dylan Garand would do so startnot whether Garand would be recalled or not. Instead, the Rangers called up recently signed journeyman backup Spencer Martin, leaving Garand to toil in the AHL. According to the article, the Rangers did little to nothing to explain to Garand why they did so. It’s not just that the Rangers messed up Dylan Garand by letting him in the AHL, it’s that it wasn’t even discussed with him.
If you’re wondering what Jed Ortmeyer’s role should be, this is it. Same with Ryan Martin. The Rangers screwed up Dylan Garand, and it’s not just Chris Drury’s fault (this time!).
The Rangers had the perfect opportunity to give a young goaltender a run of games in the NHL to see what they have in him and build his confidence, but instead passed him up on a career journeyman and a 40-year-old who is having one of the worst seasons of his Hall of Fame career.
Does that sound like sensible team decision-making, whether it’s retooling or rebuilding?
Worst of all, Jonathan Quick shouldn’t be back next season. Quick was terrible and a fair share of the Rangers’ problems. With that, the obvious move would be to give Garand the backup role. Giving Garand time to acclimate to the NHL prior to such a role would be a no-brainer for 31 other organizations, but for a Rangers organization with no brains, they couldn’t figure out the layout.
The Rangers screwed up Dylan Garand and now have a disgruntled, underdeveloped goaltender, a terrible and aging backup in Quick, and a journeyman with no NHL future in Martin. Quick and Martin will almost certainly be gone next season, while Garand will either be the backup or continue to toil on one of the worst AHL teams in the league.
I think the silver lining here for Garand is that he doesn’t have to play behind New York’s defense. On the other hand, Hartford has somehow managed to be even worse.
Nothing is going right for Rangers this season, and it’s self-inflicted messes like this with Garand that are making this the case.
#Rangers #confused #Dylan #Garand