Was Igor Shesterkin a Steal for the New York Rangers?

Igor Shesterkin has never dipped below a .900 save percentage in three seasons for the Rangers and has won games entirely on his own… You tell me.

Igor Shesterkin has been a superstar for the New York Rangers this season, and even before that. With a 12-10-2 record to start off his NHL career, you have to remember that he finished with a 2.52 goals against average and a jaw-dropping 0.932 SAVE PERCENTAGE as a rookie…

He was drafted in the fourth round at 118th overall and you all know the story from here: Builds up his fundamentals and becomes a sound goaltender in the NHL, steadily improving to become the brick wall he is today.

Timely, impressive saves are something that catches the fans’ attention, but it is not a great thing if that is all a goaltender does. Shesterkin does make flashy saves, but it rarely happens due to his lack of positioning.

Just last night against the Washington Capitals, Shesterkin had to make a huge save on the league’s best goal scorer in history, Alex Ovechkin, on a partial breakaway. He stayed calm, didn’t budge on a fake, and stopped Ovechkin’s wrister.

His poise in net sets him apart from other young goaltenders and, for his age and contract, he is definitely going to be a huge part of the Rangers’ future as Stanley Cup contenders. Shesterkin has never dipped below a .900 save percentage despite playing behind underwhelming Rangers teams in the past. Obviously, that is a huge sign that a team has found a gem.

The Rangers are now very sound at two positions: forward and goaltending. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad are superstars in the NHL and they have needed depth scoring in Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, and Barclay Goodrow.

I have already talked about Igor Shesterkin, but Alexander Georgiev is more than capable to step in in case Shesterkin is injured. The defense still has some ways to go, however, and the Rangers will need to address those concerns at the trade deadline.

Either way, the franchise has found their star goaltender for years to come and that is the pivotal first step for any Stanley Cup contender.

Is Igor Shesterkin a steal? Most definitely.