The New York Rangers could very well end up in the same position that they were in the Metropolitan Division last season. But, that doesn’t mean that their franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin will also be at the middle of the pack.
How he will fare against his fellow division rivals and their goaltenders for next season is a legitimate question worth considering. Let's get into it.
Shesterkin versus everyone
Shesterkin has a lot of the same competition to face next season, but this time he has some new defensemen helping his cause. Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi are going to be a nice upgrade from last season.
As for the rest of the Metropolitan Division, Washington vastly improved with the acquisitions of Jordan Kyrou from St. Louis and Alex Tuch from Buffalo. Obviously the Stanley Cup champions, Carolina, are still in the mix to be contenders next season.
For the goaltenders, there is a little bit of change on that front. Logan Thompson is still the main guy in Washington, and he was quite good last season. Carolina moved on from Freddie Anderson who signed with Edmonton, and Brandon Bussi will have an expanded role goind forward.
The New Jersey Devils situation is a little murky, as they have a number of goalies but no true No. 1 starter now that Jacob Markstrom is back in Florida. Dan Vladar is between the pipes again for the Philadelphia Flyers, and Arturs Silovs is a big question mark in Pittsburgh.
Shesterkin is going to have to face off against the same kind of opposition as last season, in which he was relatively in the middle of the pack despite his abysmal record.
Head of the table
When the 2026-27 season begins and with a brand new blue line in front of him, it will be very apparent that Shesterkin still runs this division. His main competition is over on Long Island, with New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who also happens to be a close friend of the Blueshirts goaltender. Thompson is another candidate, but it remains to be seen if Washington's on paper additions will make them better on the ice.
Throughout the year, Shesterkin will be a catalyst for this team, and the hope is that he finally has the supporting cast that he needs. The Rangers scored 235 goals last season, which was ranked 23rd in the league. Pavel Dorofeyev has been brought in to provide a serious uptick in that department, and that will only help out No. 31 in net.
Rangers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris Drury, brought in another goaltender this offseason to back up Shesterkin. Joonas Korpisalo is a capable goaltender, and that will provide two advantages for the Rangers, as he can give Shesterkin a break and also give him a bit of pressure to remain as the starter.
To rank Shesterkin as the top goaltender in the Metropolitan Division is a near lock. He is the Rangers best player, and has been for years. Expect these Rangers to make some noise in 2026-27, and Shesterkin will be the reason why.
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