As the halfway point in August passes, the start of training camp and some NHL preseason action is within sight. The New York Rangers have a newfound hope that the 2024-25 disappointment was just a one-off and that this upcoming season is going to go according to plan.
As the summer rolls along, there is a thought of looking at the Rangers all-time stat sheet, and whether or not any current players might eventually set any new records. One that seems like it could happen is the plethora of Henrik Lundqvist goaltending records and whether the current starting goaltender might surpass them.
Can Igor Shesterkin succeed his former mentor in some of the franchise records for goaltending? Let's discuss.
A look at the records
Henrik Lundqvist holds a number of Rangers goaltending records. He has the most wins (459), shutouts (64), time-on-ice (51,816:51), and saves (23,509). There are not many categories that don't feature "King Henrik" at the top of the list. There's one in particular that Hank doesn't have, but we can get to that later.
Some of these records are certainly reachable, despite how great they are. But, if Lundqvist was able to stay healthy and had a competent team around him at the end of his tenure, as they were in a full rebuild, would he have been the first and only Rangers goalie to reach 500 wins?
Can Igor break any?
Shesterkin has a long way to go, but he also has a long career ahead of him. At 29 years old, and a fresh new eight-year, $92 million contract keeping him with the Rangers, he has at least a decade more of good hockey in him. That is a ton of time to reach these records.
Currently, "The Prince" has 162 career wins with 21 shutouts. He has also been on the ice for 15,932:08 minutes and has made 7,439 saves. There is still a large gap between him and Lundqvist, but if he can keep the pace that he is at already, he could get there.
Over the next decade, if he can stay consistent by winning 30 games a year and adding three shutouts, his career win total will be around 462 wins and 51 shutouts. Shesterkin would be a bit behind Lundqvist, but within striking distance if he does more in either category.
To put a label on whether Shesterkin can reach Lundqvist and top him for the goaltending record book, it is possible. In fact, I would argue that it is probable, considering he is within his prime years right now, with a solid team around him.
One non-Lundqvist record that would be worth looking at is wins in a single season, as that is currently set at 42 wins which was achieved during the 1993-94 season by Mike Richter. Shesterkin's current career-high in wins is 37, and he's also had two seasons in which he won 36 games. The most Lundqvist ever had in a single season was 39, and it will be interesting to see if there's a season coming up where Igor has a chance to win 43 games to earn a record for himself.