The New York Rangers delivered some disappointing injury news, but it turns out things could have been much worse. More on that in another story in just a little bit. Franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin left Monday's game in the first period of what would become an overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth, and the initial reaction was dire. Shesterkin seemingly suffered a non-contact injury to his leg after a minor collision with JJ Peterka, but at this time it appears the Rangers avoided the worst possible news.
Shesterkin being placed on IR, not LTIR
Hearing worst case scenario with Igor Shesterkin was avoided after he left last night’s game with a non contact injury.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) January 6, 2026
However the Rangers goalie will go on IR with a lower body injury. He will continue to be evaluated.
Per Evolving-Hockey, Shesterkin has been worth 23 GAR, and that makes him the most valuable goaltender in the NHL. On top of that, Shesterkin has a GSAA (goals saved above average) of 13.91, and a GSAx (goals saved above expected) of 22.63, and he ranks second and fourth in the respective categories. He is the main reason the Rangers have had a chance to win games this season, and this loss is going to have a big impact on the team going forward. Not just on the ice, but how they may consider approaching transactions for the trade deadline after the Olympic break.
With Shesterkin out of the lineup for the immediate future, the team will now have to lean on Jonathan Quick who is turning 40 later this month. He was once again sensational for the Rangers in a loss, and he's going to be thrust into the starting position until the Olympic break.
Quick is a three-time Stanley Cup winner with tons of experience, and someone who has proven to be quite capable in a spot start role. But he is not someone that can be counted on in the same fashion the Rangers utilized Shesterkin, because his body isn't what it once was. There were once times Quick started 72, 69, 68, and 64 games in a season, but that was a long time ago.
This news is disapointing for Rangers fans, but things could have been much worse. This is going to put Mike Sullivan in a tough situation, and he will need to lean on his experience to try and create combinations that utilize the remaining talent to the best of his abilities.