New York Rangers: Put good money on Igor Shesterkin winning the Calder Trophy in 2020-21

Igor Shesterkin winning the Calder Trophy in 2020-21 is a very safe bet.

We’re on the cusp of the NHL returning and New York Rangers phenom goalie Igor Shesterkin could well be the pick of what looks set to be an uber-talented and tantalizing rookie class.

With the 2020-21 NHL season set to start on Jan. 13, 2021, BetOnline.ag has released some NHL Award odds for the new season, including odds for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most outstanding rookie.

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It is a pretty star-studded list that is headlined by generational talent Alexis Lafreniere with odds of 7/4, who was taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the New York Rangers, while Minnesota Wild’s Russian stud Kirill Kaprizov is third at 15/4 and LA Kings center Quinton Byfield is fifth with interesting odds of 10/1.

However, second on the list is Lafreniere’s Rangers teammate Igor Shesterkin, who is priced at 2/1 to win the Calder Trophy in 2020-21.

And you should absolutely put a lot of money on that happening.

Now, you might say that Shesterkin has already clocked some miles in the National Hockey League but, with just 12 games under his belt, he will still be classed as a rookie heading into 2020-21.

As such, Shesterkin will highlight a long list of high-end and compelling rookies to keep an eye on throughout next season, and the stud goalie could easily finish top of the class.

For starters, and although a small sample size, we saw Shesterkin absolutely dominate when the Rangers finally unleashed him on the NHL.

In 12 starts the 24-year-old carved out a highly-impressive 10-2-0 record with an even more impressive 2.52 Goals Against Average and .932 Save Percentage, in addition to an eye-catching Quality Start Percentage of .750% and a 3.4 Point Shares.

In other words, Shesterkin delivered on the hype surrounding his long-awaited arrival and then some, convincing the New York Rangers that he was the true heir to the throne which then led to the buyout of franchise icon Henrik Lundqvist in the offseason.

So Shesterkin, who also got his first taste of the postseason in the Play-In Round sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, will enter the 2020-21 season as the new King on Broadway and as the undisputed starter for the Rangers.

And, while he will have the very talented Alexandar Georgiev as his backup, Shesterkin will no doubt shoulder most of the load for the Blueshirts in a shortened season given his young age and his sheer talent and ability between the pipes.

Granted, some will point to the fact that the Rangers are still light on the backend with Jacob Trouba needing a true partner, while the arrival of Jack Johnson and the presence of Brendan Smith hardly translates to solid defense on a night-to-night basis.

However, a less-than-stellar blueline could actually work in Shesterkin’s favor given that he will likely face more shots and more traffic but, if he performs over a full season as he did in a small 12-game sample size last year, then the Russian will not only put together godly stats but he should also run away with the Calder Trophy too.

Again, there will be stiff competition for the award including from Shesterkin’s new teammate in Alexis Lafreniere, who has the natural talent, all the skills and the sheer intangibles to make a similar first impression as the likes of Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews did during their rookie years.

Kirill Kaprizov will be one to watch for the Minnesota Wild, as I outlined here, I expect big things from power forward Quinton Byfield in his rookie year for the Kings, while Alexander Romanov has the potential to absolutely take the NHL by storm for the Montreal Canadiens.

However, Igor Shesterkin looks every inch the real deal and the new franchise goalie for the New York Rangers, and I fully expect the elite netminder to hammer home that point emphatically during his rookie year in the National Hockey League.

So, if you fancy putting some money on the 2020-21 Calder Trophy race, you’d be smart to put a lot of it on Igor Shesterkin.