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A short term plan for Shesterkin & trade rumors

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 09: New York Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) is pictured during the third period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on January 9, 2020 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 09: New York Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) is pictured during the third period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on January 9, 2020 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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New York Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin (31)
New York Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) /

With three goalies on their roster, the New York Rangers have a logjam in net.  There are some options for the team to get them work, specifically Igor Shesterkin.

After Igor Shesterkin’s sparkling debut, it’s clear that the New York Rangers are going to be carrying three goalies from now on.  However, Shesterkin is the only one of the three who can be shuttled back and forth from Hartford and don’t be surprised to see that happen.

Henrik Lundqvist is not going to be anywhere except New York and Alexandar Georgiev has to clear waivers if he is to go to Hartford.   With three goalies, the challenge is keeping them busy.  Thankfully, the month of February is their busiest month of the season with 15 games in 28 days.

The rest of January is definitely an issue with the NHL All-Star break and the mandatory bye week looming.  Henrik Lundqvist played in St. Louis for the first time in nine days and the layoff definitely affected his performance.

Trade rumors

On Saturday, Elliotte Friedman reported on “Hockey Night in Canada” that the Blueshirts are ready to field offers for Georgiev.  Friedman has good sources and he said that the Rangers are insisting on a good return and want a scoring forward who can help them as early as this year or next.  That means an NHL player or a top prospect.

He specifically mentioned Ottawa, Toronto and San Jose as having interest.  While the return for goalkeepers hasn’t been great, the fact that Georgiev is an arbitration eligible restricted free agent and will be under team control for years is a positive. He has also put on some spectacular performances on national telecasts that have enhanced his reputation.

The fact that the Rangers are insisting on a forward and someone that can help the team sooner than later also makes sense as the team is getting closer to playoff contention. Could the Blueshirts package Georgiev with one of their young defenseman to make it a better deal?  Absolutely.

What about now?

Starting Monday, the Rangers play four games in the next nine days including three key meetings with the New York Islanders.  One possiblity is that Shesterkin stays with the Rangers through those games, gets a couple starts and then returns to Hartford when the Blueshirts have their  nine day break.

The Wolf Pack play two games while the Rangers are off and before their All-Star break so he could get in two starts, then play in the AHL All-Star Game, cheduled for January 26-27 in Ontario, California. He could be back when the Rangers resume play against Detroit on January 31.  That’s five games he could play before the end of the month, split between the AHL and NHL.

In other words, no one should get hysterical if Shesterkin is sent back to Hartford, it will only be a short term thing.

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