YOU KNOW THE OLYMPICS ARE ALMOST OVER WHEN… 

The goalie shuffle between the New York Rangers and the Hartford Wolf Pack begins…and it’s begun today.

The Rangers have sent Steve Valiquette and his broken finger back to the Wolf Pack and recalled Chad Johnson.

Sending Johnson and not Matt Zaba makes sense. Zaba is playing exceptionally well and having him sit and get cold…pardon the pun…on the bench in New York makes no sense whatsoever. Meanwhile, Chad Johnson is struggling mightily to recover his game. He has been awful in his games since being sent down prior to the end of the Olympic break. Having him in New York at the Rangers Training Center to work much closer with goaltending guru Benoit Allaire is the prescription for fixing whatever has caused the lapse in Johnson’s game.

It will be interesting to see what the time with Allaire will do in getting Johnson straightened out when he plays his next game with the Wolf Pack.

For the time being anyway, with Valiquette still injured, Miika Wiikman will remain in Hartford to back up Zaba. If and when Valiquette is able to go it will be interesting to see how this whole four goalie rotation plays itself out. Frankly, of the four netminders, Valiquette has shown the weakest play and should be the odd person out. The greatest likelihood is that Wiikman will be sent back to Charlotte.

Here’s the official release:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that goaltender Chad Johnson has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), and goaltender Steve Valiquette has been assigned to Hartford.

Johnson, 23, has appeared in 30 games with Hartford this season, posting a 14-11-2 record with a 2.45 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and three shutouts.  He ranks 12th in the AHL in goals against average, 16th in save percentage, and is tied for sixth in shutouts.  Johnson returns to the Rangers where he has posted a record of 1-2-1, along with a 2.35 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and one assist in five appearances this season.  He notched his first career NHL win, while starting in consecutive games for the first time in his career, with a 34-save effort in a 3-1 win at Colorado on January 31.  On January 7 at Atlanta, he became the first NHL goalie to register an assist in his first career start since Alex Auld on January 23, 2002.  He made his NHL debut with 17 saves on December 30 vs. Philadelphia, and has dressed as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in 22 games this season.  In Hartford, Johnson registered a season-high four-game winning streak, beginning with his first career AHL shutout on October 31 against Providence to November 7 at Bridgeport.  He also notched back-to-back shutouts on November 13 vs. Manchester (26 saves) and November 14 at Worcester (35 saves).  The AHL rookie made his debut with Hartford on October 9 at Providence, and recorded his first AHL win the following game on October 10 against Springfield.

The Calgary, Alberta native was acquired by the Rangers on June 27, 2009, in exchange for a fifth round selection (Andy Bathgate) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Valiquette, 32, has posted a record of 4-5-1, along with a 3.73 goals against average and an .877 save percentage in 11 appearances with Hartford this season.  Valiquette posted a 4-1-1 mark, with a 2.29 goals against average and a .919 save percentage in a six-game stretch from December 12 vs. Bridgeport to December 30 vs. Springfield, including back-to-back wins on December 12 vs. Bridgeport (2-1) and December 18 vs. Toronto (6-1) where he registered a 0.99 goals against average and a .960 save percentage in the two contests.

The Etobicoke, Ontario native was signed by the Rangers as a free agent on July 1, 2006.