The New York Rangers have had a rough couple of seasons since winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24. Now, it seems like this team has hit rock bottom, and the only way to go from here is up.
With that said, the world is not projecting the Blueshirts to be following in their Madison Square Garden brethren's footsteps, as the New York Knicks just took home their first NBA championship in 53 years. The Rangers are going to need a lot more time to get to that level.
But, there is one player that is going to be under a lot more pressure now that this team is not projected to be winners. Sure the prospects and the captain, J.T. Miller are going to be in the spotlight as improvements need to be made, but this one particular piece makes the most money and has the most responsibility on this squad.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin is going to be the heart and soul of this team, and can be the only one to push it forward through this retool. Let's talk about why.
Shesterkin controls the future
The Rangers allowed 15th-most goals in the NHL last season, with only 249. Not too shabby considering they finished last in the Metropolitan Division and near the bottom of the NHL all-together. One of the reasons why that is, is not because of the defensive work but in the performance from No. 31 between the pipes.
Shesterkin had a solid year, despite his really odd record. With a .912 save percentage and a Goals Against Average of 2.50, he did everything he could back there to try and keep his team in the game.
That is where the future gets interesting. Shesterkin has all the pressure of enduring the growing pains in front of him, and their confidence growing or shrinking by winning hockey games. Those numbers listed above as a mid-2's GAA and a save percentage over 91% should win you a lot more than 25 games a season.
But, that was not the case considering the abysmal effort in front of him, as they could not score more than three goals 30 times out of 82 games last season. It did not matter how well Shesterkin did, if the rest of the team was not performing.
That leads No. 31 having to be better than what should be considered as great. He is going to have to be lights out, night in and night out, with a very young and erratic roster in front of him.
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