It's Stanley Cup or bust for Igor Shesterkin, and that's exactly the mindset fans have come to expect from their franchise netminder. The 2024-25 season was one that fans want to forget, but expect it to be a source of motivation for the Blueshirts' netminder.
We caught up with Igor Shesterkin on Day 2 of Rangers camp.
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) September 19, 2025
His expectation for the team: "Stanley Cup. If you're a professional athlete, you need to reach the best always and that should be your goal."
New season provides a new opportunity for Shesterkin
Shesterkin assuredly is not happy how the 2024-25 season went down, a campaign which saw him go 27-29-5 with a 2.86 goals against average and a .905 save percentage in 61 games. He posted a 6.38 goals saved above average and a 28.59 goals saved above expected per Evolving-Hockey. He was a lot better for the Blueshirts than the traditional numbers indicate, and you can expect fans to look at his game even more closely this season because it will be the first year of his record-breaking contract extension.
I think Shesterkin is also someone who is motivated by how he's perceived, and falling out of the top spot for the NHL's best netminders as ranked by NHL Network is something he can use as an extra source of motivation.
Shesterkin has been an elite goaltender, hope is 2024-25 was just a blip
Since entering the league back in 2019, Shesterkin has appeared in 274 games, and in that span is second in goals saved above average with 96.49, and goals saved above expected with 121.6 per Evolving-Hockey. He trails Connor Hellebuyck by 41.91 and 49.14 respectively, but has appeared in 82 fewer games.
Season | Games Played | GSAA | GSAx |
|---|---|---|---|
2019-20 | 12 | 7.73 | 5.90 |
2020-21 | 35 | 7.45 | 4.73 |
2021-22 | 53 | 42.45 | 37.18 |
2022-23 | 58 | 19.10 | 27.84 |
2023-24 | 55 | 13.37 | 17.36 |
2024-25 | 61 | 6.38 | 28.59 |
By a per game basis, Shesterkin has been the league's top goaltender since making his debut. There's no denying that last season was a rough one, but that was the case for most of the team. Fans should be hopeful for a bounce back by the the franchise netminder this upcoming season, and I would expect him to return to form in a big way with a new coach and some defensive upgrades providing additional support. His underlyings have been solid, and his track record of performance and consistency should be a big reason why the Rangers are back in the playoffs this spring.
Late season rest will be a benefit for Shesterkin
Shesterkin will also have the benefit of a lengthy break in February because Russia is banned from competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics. That time to rest, relax, and reset before the home stretch of the regular season and playoffs is something that will give him a huge advantage. His fellow countrymen Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy will also benefit from this, both part of teams expected to make lengthy playoff runs this season.
In any case, it's nice to see Shesterkin being bold and setting the bar high for himself and the team. Obviously there are 31 that end their season disappointed, and there's a good chance opposing fans will look back on his words if the team is unsuccessful. But after the season that was 2024-25, there's nothing wrong with laying out their expectations early, and having it as a form of accountability to keep them in check this season.