The 2026 Winter Olympics have come and gone with great fanfare, and the New York Rangers return to action tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. The expectation is Igor Shesterkin will too, and it will certainly be a welcome sight for Rangers fans.
For months, the discourse surrounding Shesterkin has been dominated by one number: $92 million. Many argued that no goalie was worth a record-setting $11.5 million cap hit, suggesting the Rangers could find "good enough" results for less. But over the last 13 games, the Shesterkin-less Rangers turned into a nightmare. Without Shesterkin to mask their flaws, the Blueshirts surrendered an average of over six goals per game during their worst stretches, watching Jonathan Quick and Spencer Martin crumble under the pressure.
As Shesterkin prepares to lead the Rangers out of the tunnel again, the debate over his salary has been replaced by a much simpler truth. Much like during the Henrik Lundqvist, right now this team is fundamentally lost without their starting goaltender, and he deserves a lot more appreciation than he's received.
The disastrous reality of life without Igor
Quick got the majority of playing time while Shesterkin was sidelined, and he was thrown into a difficult situation. At this point of his career he's a backup that has managed playing time, and the workload was too much for him to bear. Quick went 1-8-1 with a 4.25 goals against average and a .852 save percentage as the emergency starter, and no one would blame the now 40 year old if he decided to retire after this season.
Martin made six apperances for the Blueshirts, and he went 1-3-0 with a 4.13 goals against average and a .863 save percentage. He's a journeyman goaltender who started his season in the KHL, so it is no surprise that he struggled in the manner he did.
What the Rangers are getting with Igor back in goal
Shesterkin currently sits fourth in the NHL in GSAA (goals saved above average) and eighth in GSAx (goals saved about expected) per Evolving-Hockey. These are cumulative stats that can be enhanced by playing more, and he's logged the 17th most minutes in the NHL this season.
His track record as a goalie is also very strong, and since entering the league he sits 3rd in GSAA (112.63) and GSAx (144.97) while having the seventh most minutes played. He is a very talented goaltender who was in a very rough spot last year defensively, and early on the fruits of Mike Sullivan's tactically changes were noticeable.
This is a lost season in which the Rangers would be better of losing games, and that's something that is likely to happen. The difference is that there should be a much lower margin of victory for the other team, and less 10-2 drubbings like fans saw a few weeks ago. In any case, Shesterkin's return to the ice will give fans something to cheer about. He's a very entertaining player, and while the Rangers are still on pace to be a lottery team, they are more palatable when Igor is between the pipes.