Connor Hellebuyck and Goalie Trade Options for the Rangers After Igor Shesterkin Injury

After a strong offseason that saw them address a lot of pressing roster issues, including goal-scoring depth and rounding out their top four on defense, there was some reason for optimism for the New York Rangers entering the 2026-27 season.

The optimism only grew with a strong start that was largely driven by starting goalie Igor Shesterkin.

Then everything was thrown into chaos when the Rangers announced Saturday that Shesterkin would miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury Friday against Washington.

That not only leaves a major hole in their lineup, but it also takes away one of the few players the team has been able to consistently rely on over the past six years.

By every objective measure we have to evaluate goalies, Shesterkin is one of the best in hockey. He has always lifted the Rangers and covered for a lot of their defensive shortcomings.

Taking him out of the lineup for the remainder of the season is a devastating blow to their playoff chances. Dylan Garand is a solid prospect and has played well this season, but it's a long campaign, and the Rangers are one of the most goalie-dependent teams in the league. This could be a problem.

It also opens the door for a potential trade, especially with veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo still sidelined for the immediate future.

So let's take a look at the Rangers' options: absurd and unrealistic possibilities, players they should avoid and more logical rentals.

The Keep Dreaming Option: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

It is the biggest elephant in the room, so you kind of have to address it.

But it's also an elephant that you can probably keep ignoring, even after acknowledging its existence.

On the surface, you can kind of see why people would try to connect Hellebuyck to the Rangers, as Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman did , although he also stated the unlikelihood of it happening.

He is the type of elite goalie who could immediately step in for Shesterkin and allow the Rangers to keep going forward as planned.

He has been one of the few goalies over the past few years who have matched—and at times exceeded—Shesterkin's level of play. He is a Hall of Fame-bound player with three Vezina Trophies and an Olympic gold medal. His goals saved above expected numbers have consistently been among the best in the NHL, finishing in the top 10 in five of the past six seasons and leading the league three times.

Hellebuyck also wants out of Winnipeg and is still waiting for a trade that has yet to come, and at some point, you would think everybody involved wants some kind of resolution to this situation.

If the Rangers were a top Stanley Cup contender, maybe you would consider it. But they are not, and that means it probably would not make sense to pay the price for Hellebuyck.

There is also the matter of contracts and the fact that both Hellebuyck and Shesterkin are signed to long-term deals. Neither player is going to want to split time in net, and it would not make sense for the Rangers to pay two elite goalies a combined $20 million per year for the foreseeable future—even with a consistently rising salary cap.

Maybe you could argue that the Rangers could turn around after the season and flip Hellebuyck to somebody else. But that is probably easier said than done, and may not result in them getting back as much as they would have to give up.

It's a fun idea. It would also be the type of chaotic, outrageously aggressive move NHL teams tend to avoid. It just doesn't seem realistic and certainly not likely.

The Option to Avoid: Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues

Joel Hofer is the best goalie in St. Louis, and he is starting to wrestle playing time away from Binnington.

Given that development, as well as the fact that Binnington is in the final year of his contract, he could be somebody the Blues look to trade if they can find a taker for him.

Given the way hockey people still seem to believe in the 33-year-old as a big-game goalie and a winner, they might even succeed in doing that.

But the Rangers should not be the team, even on a short-term basis or as a stopgap for this season.

More often than not, Binnington has been one of the worst goalies in the league, finishing minus-9 or worse in goals saved above expected in three of the past five seasons. He ranked 90th or worse in those three seasons, and he has not looked good in his first two appearances this season.

Putting him behind a Rangers team that still gives up a lot of chances and is very goalie-dependent would not be a winning move.

Potentially Realistic Option: Philipp Grubauer, Seattle Kraken

Grubauer had a lot of success early in his career with the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche, and parlayed that into a big contract with the Seattle Kraken in their inaugural expansion season.

The hope was that he could be a stabilizing presence in goal and give an emerging franchise a chance to compete.

Over the first few years of his deal, it just never really worked out as hoped.

But since the start of the 2025-26 season, Grubauer has bounced back and been a pretty solid goalie. Joey Daccord is the starter in Seattle and the younger of the two netminders, which could make the pending UFA Grubauer a potential trade chip.

It's hard to imagine that he would cost a lot in terms of draft picks or assets, and he might be able to at least give the Rangers some league-average play and a chance to keep competing in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Can Rangers Survive Without Shesterkin? 😓

Potentially Realistic Option: One of the Los Angeles Kings Goalies

The Los Angeles Kings enter play on Tuesday as one of the three winless teams in the NHL, along with the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames.

It is too soon for them to give up on the season or become obvious sellers, but they do have two veteran goalies on expiring contracts: Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg.

They are both off to slow starts this season, but they could be the type of potential stopgap that might make some sense if the Rangers do not feel comfortable going forward with Garand and Spencer Martin until Joonas Korpisalo's return later this season.

There is also the question of whether or not either one of them would actually be better than Korpisalo, but you have to take into account the fact that when he does return, he may not be 100 percent or at his most effective.

It would at least be an option to explore.

Potential Wild-Card Option: Karel Vejmelka, Utah Mammoth

This would require some moving parts and would also indirectly (or perhaps directly) involve Hellebuyck.

Utah has been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Hellebuyck, and he would help put them on the map as a possible Western Conference Stanley Cup contender.

If they get him, they may not have as much long-term use for Vejmelka.

Could they then flip him to the Rangers as part of a separate deal? Could New York get involved as a third team in a hypothetical Winnipeg-Utah deal?

Vejmelka could help this season, but his $4.75 million cap hit through 2029-30 would represent a substantial commitment for a goalie expected to back up Shesterkin beyond this year.

Is it a long shot? Yes, but there are worse options and definitely less interesting ones.