WHEN HIS TIME COMES ,WILL GOALIE PROSPECT HUGO OLLAS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A FULL-TIME BACK UP TO IGOR SHESTERKIN? OR, WILL THE RANGERS GO TO MARKET FOR A GOALIE ONCE JONATHAN QUICK'S CONTRACT IS UP? The Maven's answer follows: This Ollas guy is not a goalie; this is a MOUNTAIN. Hugo could be re-named Huge-oh. The stratospheric Swede stands 6-8, 238 pounds which makes him an automatic physical cousin to the Skating Giraffe Matt Rempe. The good news is that Ollas played well for Merrimack and who cares if he was drafted 197th overall in 2020. Hey, Igor Shesterkin was 45 miles from being a first-rounder. Stan Fischler US Hall Of Fame MSG For now, the jury is out. Hugo only made his NHL debut with the Wolf Pack last April, beating Springfield 6-4. And who knows when his NHL time will come – if it comes. Then again if ageless Jonathan Quick enjoys another solid season, he just might want to come back for just one more. And since Igor Shesterkin's agent seems to want a contract equal to the value of Manhattan, who's to say Chris Drury won't say, "Thanks but no thanks." When The Maven evaluates goalies, size matters but in the right places. This Ollas fella is so big – and very heavy – that his mobility could be more in the three-toed sloth range. Me? I like smaller, faster goalies – if you can call 6-1 "small" these days – and that's why I'd put my money on Dylan Garand. With pro experience at Hartford, he automatically stands ahead – but not a head – above Hugo. Then again, if Garand blows his chance and Ollas rides tall in the saddle with the Wolf Pack, well, ya never know. The Rollicking Rempe proved that!
