Will a 30-Year-Old Vezina Goaltender Carry the New York Rangers to the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
How did the New York Rangers make it to the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals? Goaltending. How did the Rangers make it to the 2022 and 2024 Eastern Conference Finals? Goaltending. How did the 24-25 Rangers nearly slip into the postseason despite a historical collapse? Must the answer even be said? That sums up the last two decades of New York Rangers hockey. Two laughing-stock seasons later, goaltending remains the least of their problems as Igor Shesterkin continues to flash the leather. As a much different New York Rangers team comes to MSG this Fall, can the Vezina-winning goaltender carry them back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Since beginning his NHL career as a backup under the great Henrik Lundqvist, Shesterkin has filled in his shoes almost perfectly. Starting his career off 10-2 in the 19-20 season, fans knew right away this goalie tandem would stay strong. After another impressive performance in 20-21, the Russian goalie has been nothing but stellar for the Blueshirts. Three straight 30-win seasons, five straight 20-win seasons, including a 2022 Vezina, and every season so far above a .900 save percentage and below a 2.90 GAA. If that wasn’t impressive enough, this is merely regular-season stats; we don’t even need to get into the 30-year-old's performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but we are anyway.
Shesterkin's playoff debut tells you everything you need to know: a 79-save performance in a 4-3 loss in triple overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins. A tad bit of struggle in that series, but Igor remains the hero of that Game Seven victory. Since then, the stats have just exploded, ending their 2022 playoff campaign with a .929 save percentage and 2.59 GAA. One year later, their Round One loss to the New Jersey Devils may take away some of the glory in his .931 save percentage and 1.96 GAA; he certainly deserved better that year. The Moscow native truly gave it his all in 2024, no doubt, beginning the postseason 7-0, stealing key games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers, and ending his final playoff appearance with a save percentage of .927 and a GAA of 2.34. He’s carried them in the playoffs, so who’s to say he can’t carry them to the playoffs?
With Igor in their lineup, they’ll always have a chance in every game. Even with their horrific performances last season, he gave them games they absolutely had no right winning. Yes, some upgrades have been made to this Rangers roster, though what’s on paper is rarely the same as on the ice. It’s a no-doubt gamble this season for New York, and the 2014 fourth-round pick makes this gamble likely to go positive, but foreshadows yet another Ranger core to rely heavily on their goaltender instead of becoming the team he needs in front. In terms of this upcoming season, Igor can likely carry this team back to the postseason, maybe even steal a round as well, but in terms of their future, do fans really see that being the best for their Blueshirts?
