The New York Rangers may not be having the greatest of seasons, but they can take solace in the fact that they have one of the top goalies in the league in net.
While some teams have huge question marks at goaltender, the Rangers can sleep well knowing that they have one of the best in the game in Igor Shesterkin. Tuesday night showed just that.
Shesterkin helped lead the Rangers to a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils to avoid gtting swept by their division rivals. Shesterkin stopped 22-of-23 shots on goal, but received plenty of national attention after dropping the gloves with Jacob Markstrom in a rare goalie fight. Shesterkin's fight pummped up the fans and his teammates.
After the game, Sullivan was asked about Shesterkin's performance. Sullivan called Shesterkin "the best goalie in the world." Not only that, but Sullivan said that watching Shesterkin in net reminds him when he watched Henrik Lundqvist as an assistant coach under John Tortorella.
Mike Sullivan compares Igor Shesterkin to Henrik Lundqvist
"That was always my observation of watching Hank. He was a fierce competitor and his practice habits were off the charts, and I watch the same thing with Shesty. I think, in a lot of ways, he personifies what we want to become," said Sullivan, h/t Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
It takes a lot for a goalie to be mentioned in the same sentence as Lundqvist, but Shesterkin is deserving. The Rangers had Lundqvist in net for 15 years, where he helped them reach the playoffs 12 times. One of those trips, Lundqvist carried the team to an Eastern Conference Championship in 2014 and to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1994. He was the gold standard for Rangers goaltenders, especially as of late. Luckily for the team, they had Shesterkin waiting in the wings, and the transfer of power took place in 2020.
For Shesterkin, he showcased he was one of the best in the game in the 2021-22 season, where he won the Vezina Trophy after recording league-bests in save percentage (.935) and goals allowed average (2.07). Not to mention he played pivotal roles in the team making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2024.
This season, Shesterkin was sidelined after suffering a lower body injury in their Jan. 5 game against the Utah Mammoth. He would not return to the lineup until their Feb. 26 contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. With Shesterkin out, the Rangers went 2-11-1 in 14 games, which helped secure their spot in last place in the Eastern Conference. With that, a section of fans were on board with tanking for the rest of the year to secure better odds to secure a Top 2 pick to select surefire prospects in Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg.
But it's difficult to tank with Shesterkin in net. In 13 games since his return, the Rangers went 7-4-2 with Shesterkin posting a .910 save percentage and a 2.70 goals allowed average. Shesterkin is looking to win games. As Sullivan said, he is a competitor, and he showed that in his latest start against the Devils, where he showed that fire late in the game and dropped Markstom on the ice in a fight.
It's difficult for most teams to find their starting goaltender for the foreseeable future. The Rangers faithful are a bit spoiled that they went from Lundqvist to Shesterkin, but it goes to show how good the organization is at finding goaltending talent.