Igor Shesterkin will always be the driving force of success for the Rangers. As long as he’s healthy and performing to career averages, the Rangers will usually be in the thick of the playoff hunt and, should they make the playoffs, a tough out for most teams. The problem lately has been injuries, as Igor Shesterkin simply hasn’t been healthy. Shesterkin missed two months with a lower body injury last season, resulting in him starting just 51 games. That stretch overlapped with an injury to Jonathan Quick, which led to Spencer Martin getting way too many starts.
When Shesterkin was healthy and in net, he was back to his usual self after a down year in 2024-2025. His overall save percentage jumped back to .912, which is more in line with his career norms and good for third in the NHL. Shesterkin’s .935 SV% season, his Vezina season, is still possible, but will need better team defense and limiting quality chances against before that can happen again.
Side note: Remember when a .912 SV% was good for top-20, not top-3? The times, they are a changing.
By every metric, Igor Shesterkin is a top goalie in the NHL. He routinely ranks among the best in both traditional metrics like SV% and advanced metrics like GSAA. When he’s healthy and playing to his career averages, he’s always in the blue in Evolving-Hockey’s charts. Using HockeyViz’s actual goals allowed vs expected goals allowed, we see that Shesterkin was good for at least 1 less goal allowed per 100 shots at all strengths last season. In short, he’s worth every penny he’s paid.
As Brandon mentioned yesterday, the Rangers don’t necessarily need career years out of Igor Shesterkin for them to truly compete. They just need him to be his normal self, which is at worst a top-3 goalie in the NHL. If he can provide that stability, then the Rangers will have more confidence to take offensive chances and hopefully start scoring somewhat regularly again.
Of course, he needs to stay healthy. Something he simply hasn’t been able to do the last couple of seasons. Perhaps an easier workload–meaning far better defense and limiting quality chances against–will help.
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