With the start of the regular season upon us, final cuts made, and the New York Rangers ready to go, there are only a few things to check out in the first week.
One subject of discussion by both fans and management for all teams is the goaltending situation and the New York Rangers are no exception. In particular, the Blueshirts have the potential to have what is classified as a “goaltender controversy”.
In the past, the Rangers have had to make moves with their goaltenders to allocate cap space or make room for younger talent. Remember Martin Biron being replaced by Cam Talbot, Ondrej Pavelec by Alexandar Georgiev, and so on. The Rangers will have a trio of goaltenders likely getting time between the pipes this season, including long-standing franchise center piece Henrik Lundqvist, as well as Alex Georgiev and rookie goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
Every season and obvious point to discuss is that yet another year has transpired and that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is a year older. Of course, every year is another year means we are closer to the end of the career for the franchise’s most statistically successful goaltender, holding the records for most wins, and shutouts, in both the regular season and post-season.
Fortunately for the Rangers, there is a new kid on the block in the long-awaited Russian rookie goaltenders, Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin has finally arrived in North America and he got his first taste of NHL hockey this preseason. Unfortunately, the Russian goaltender drew the short straw and was sent down to the AHL, but that likely will not last long.
Henrik Lundqvist
Is there really much to say about Henrik Lundqvist? After having a extended summer off from hockey, Lundqvist looks to put up numbers reminiscent of his prime. The Rangers newly revamped defense will certainly give Lundqvist some long sought after support and may allow him to play a bit more competitively.
As a result of this you can expect him to play a much larger role than he did last season, and you could expect him to start between 55-65 games. If the defense holds up to the standard, Lundqvist should play a pretty crucial role for the team, something we’re a bit used to.
The backups
Behind Lundqvist, will be two major players on the Rangers in the future. Both Alex Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin will be of incredible value to the team in the near future, however one will almost certainly be moved at some point and it is most likely Georgiev. If Shesterkin is as good as his reputation, the Rangers will have to keep him happy as he has a European Assignment Clause in his contract and he could return to Russia.
Georgiev held his own last season, with a record of 14-13, and a .914 save percentage. His play was most noticeable against teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he starred on more than one occasion. Shesterkin got some action in the preseason and did not look out of place on North American ice.
Regardless of the decisions that the Rangers front office have to make, the goaltending situation will be dealt with one way or another, but in order to avoid a problem, we should soon expect one of the Rangers’ young goalies to be making a move.