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Armchair GM New York Rangers roster review: Part 5 – Goaltenders

By Jason Katinas

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers makes a save as teammate Marc Staal #18 looks on agains Cedric Paquette #13 of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers makes a save as teammate Marc Staal #18 looks on agains Cedric Paquette #13 of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

#40  Alexandar Georgiev

In 77 games Alexandar Georgiev has shown he is more than just a free agent signee to fill the goaltending needs of the Hartford Wolfpack. Called up at the end of the 2017-18 season he has proven that he is an NHL quality goaltender. He played in 10 games that season while Lundqvist struggled down the stretch and backup Ondrej Pavelec was both injured and ineffective.

The following season saw Georgiev as the established backup. He appeared in 33 games, starting 30. Most of his workload came later in the season as Lundqvist again struggled down the stretch. Georgiev had several good stretches of play, but when called upon with short rest, he generally faltered. In the seven games he played with two or less off days between starts (discounting relief appearances), Georgiev posted a 2-5-0 record, with one shutout, and a .893 Sv%.

During the 2019-20 season Georgiev received more playing time as part of a tandem with Lundqvist, instead of a traditional backup role. Like the previous season, he had a few good stretches, specifically against the New York Islanders and directly following the comeback win against the Canadiens in Montreal where he was left in after giving up five goals. He played in 12 games with short rest between starts, posting a 6-6 record with one shutout and a .907 Sv%, a significant improvement over the previous season.

His overall stat line for the 2019-20 season reflects a 17-14-2 record with a 3.04 GAA and a .910 Sv%. Those are decent numbers for a backup goaltender on a team that does not suppress shots and was provided superior goal support (3.01 goals per 60 minutes). The underlying statistics do not paint a pretty picture.

Georgiev’s save percentage at even strength (.914 Sv%) and against high danger shots (.826%) were both team low’s. Worse, he has an .870 Sv% when facing shots while the opposition has pulled their goalie, stopping only 20 of 23 such shots. Neither Lundqvist nor Shesterkin surrendered such a goal. These numbers are one reason that Shesterkin was so readily embraced as the number one by the Rangers.  Still, Georgiev has proven that he can be a solid backup.

It is worth noting, that In the cap era, the New York Rangers have moved on quickly from all of their backups. They have either outright replaced those that were ineffective (Pavelec, Steve Valiquette, Martin Biron) or traded those that had value (Cam Talbot, Antti Raanta).

Coming off his ELC as an arbitration eligible restricted free agent (RFA), don’t be surprised if Jeff Gorton pulls he trigger on a deal if there is a team that values Georgiev.  How much value is yet to be determined, but there is no reason to believe that the Rangers will not act as they have in the past.

Additionally, with a flat cap and with prospects in the pipeline, the New York Rangers have options in net beyond the decision surrounding Henrik Lundqvist. Adam Huska just finished his first pro season and served as an able back up to Shesterkin in Hartford.  Tyler Wall recently signed his ELC after a stellar career at UMass-Lowell as one of the best collegiate goalies.  At 22 years old, he may be a dark horse candidate to fill the backup role.

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