The New York Rangers are off to one of their better starts in several years, but disaster struck in the second period after Igor Shesterkin left the game with an injury in which he was unable to put any weight on his right leg.
The Blueshirts' netminder was out of his crease trying to get back into the play, and as he swiveled back into position, his skate blade connected with the goal post and he immediately alerted everyone that something was wrong.
Igor Shesterkin went down with a leg injury and had to be carried off the ice without putting weight on his right leg
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 10, 2026
Hope he's okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/uDg7SAZ3c8
The main point of concern here is that the pain is evident after the skate jammed into the post, and in all reality it could be anything from an ankle injury, to a knee injury, or something potentially worse. This isn't a situation where you really want to look at the bright side, but it could have been even worse had he done something to his other leg that was injured earlier this year.
Igor Shesterkin needed assistance off the ice following a collision with JJ Peterka pic.twitter.com/6OG2P0Jdk1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 6, 2026
In January, Shesterkin was sidelined with a lower-body injury after JJ Peterka crashed into him, and that time it was his left leg that bent awkwardly. That collision resulted in the Rangers placing Shesterkin on injured reserve, and he eventually returned for the Blueshirts in February after the Olympic break concluded.
The Rangers netminder has had some back luck with lower-body injuries before, and some previous incident include a strained groin in March 2021, a left leg and lower-body injury in December 2021, and another lower-body injury in November 2023. Every other injury on his ledger were undisclosed upper-body injuries.
The injury to Shesterkin sent the team into a bit of a spiral, and the extended workload thrust upon Jonathan Quick may have indirectly led to the future Hall of Famer's retirement. Shesterkin was sensational for the Rangers when he did return from injury, and despite some time on IR, he still appeared in 51 games and posted a record of 25-19-6 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average.
Rangers will rely on Dylan Garand from this point
Garand took over for Shesterkin on Friday against the Capitals, and with veteran netminder Joonas Korpisalo also on injured reserve with an injury that hasn't been talked about in detail, the rookie netminder would be in line to start the majority of games going forward if Shesterkin is going to miss any significant time. Under normal circumstances Spencer Martin would be the most likely option to be the "next man up" to join the roster in a pinch, but he is also currently dealing with an injury.
Spencer Martin has a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. Rangers goalie depth chart is:
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) October 10, 2026
Shesterkin — left tonight's game
Korpisalo — lower-body injury, not skating yet
Garand
Martin — lower-body injury, day-to-day
Tung https://t.co/jZH7STA2T4
That would mean Callum Tung could be next on the depth chart, but you'd imagine the Rangers would look for a more reliable option to join Garand depending on the severity of Shesterkin's injury.
The Rangers are built in such a way that Shesterkin's availability is a big part of their success, and the hope is that things looked worse than they actually were on the ice. Any long-term injury would put a significant damper on the vibes currently surrounding the team, and this point all fans can do is hope for the best.
Prior to Friday's game, Shesterkin had appeared in four of the five games for the Blueshirts, and he posted a 3-1-0 record with a .926 save percentage and a 1.75 goals against average. He also has a goal and an assist to his name, and he has been a big part of why the Rangers are off to such an amazing start to the 2026-27 season
Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
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