The New York Rangers have one of the best goaltenders in the league, and he'll be key in getting them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023-24. While Igor Shesterkin hasn't put up the numbers he did in his 2021-22 Vezina-winning campaign, he's still one of the best between the pipes in the NHL. If he can find his stride, the Rangers can too.
Despite a few subpar years for the New York Rangers, Shesterkin has always been there to hold down the back end. In the 2021-22 season, Shesterkin led all goaltenders in the league in save percentage (.953), goals-against average (2.07), and goals saved above average (44.9). He took home the Vezina trophy for goaltender of the year, was named to the All-Star team, and finished third in Hart Trophy voting. Unfortunately for Shesterkin and the Rangers, he has yet to see those same numbers since.
Even so, he's been one of the few good things for the team these past few seasons. In the 2025-26 season, despite the Rangers finding themselves dead last in the Metropolitan Division, Shesterkin still put up top-15 numbers across the league. He rebounded from the 2024-25 season to put up a better save percentage and goals-against average than the year before. His save percentage among goaltenders who played more than 50 games in a season was the third-best, while his goals-against average was fourth-best. His goals-saved-above-average stat went from 8 goals the previous season to 22.9.
The best news out of this for the Rangers might be that he put up these numbers while missing a number of games due to injury. A healthy, ready to work Shesterkin might be the most dangerous he's been in the last few seasons.
Igor Shesterkin can't do it alone
Changes in the New York Rangers' core have left the team vulnerable and made these last couple of years a tumultuous time. Shesterkin, early on in his eight-year contract, has had to bear a lot of the brunt of these changes. The best thing that the Rangers can do to get the best out of Shesterkin is to build around him as they work towards becoming a competitive playoff team again.
The offseason signing of Dorofeyev could be a key piece in getting Shesterkin back to Vezina-caliber numbers, but he can't be the only one scoring goals. Otherwise, the old adage of goaltenders being able to do anything but score goals might continue to ring true for this Rangers team in the 2026-27 season.
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