The New York Rangers knew there was a chance the damage to beginning goalie Igor Shesterkin was going to be severe.
They came upon on Saturday that it’s season-ending.
The Rangers introduced that Shesterkin goes to overlook the rest of the 2026-27 season because of the lower-body damage he suffered on Friday night time in a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. It’s a devastating improvement for a staff that appeared like it could have had a very good probability to get again to the playoffs after lacking in back-to-back years.
Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending damage is brutal blow to New York Rangers’ playoff hopes
There are usually not many groups within the NHL which are extra depending on their goalie than the Rangers.
He has not solely been among the best goalies on the earth on a constant foundation over the previous six years, however he has all the time been the one factor preserving an in any other case mediocre roster afloat.
All through most of his profession, the Rangers have surrounded him with a deeply flawed, poor defensive staff that persistently will get outshot and out-chanced in 5-on-5 play and struggles to push the tempo.
For the reason that begin of the 2020-21 season, Shesterkin’s first as a full-time starter, the Rangers’ NHL rank in anticipated purpose share (through Natural Stat Trick) throughout 5-on-5 play has been twenty second, twenty third, twenty second, twenty second, twenty sixth and twenty second. Constant, however persistently unhealthy.
Over that very same time interval, Shesterkin’s ranks in objectives saved above anticipated (via MoneyPuck) have been fifteenth, first, fifth, twelfth, seventh and sixth.
Consider: the staff rankings are out of 32 groups.
Shesterkin’s goalie rankings are usually out of between 80 and 95 goalies that performed every season throughout the league.
He’s the one pillar holding up the staff yearly.
When he missed important time through the 2025-26 season, the Rangers had no reply and no strategy to make up for it. Now they will should discover a strategy to do it over a full season.
This 12 months’s roster is best in a whole lot of areas, but it surely nonetheless has some huge flaws which are going to make it troublesome to compete with out Shesterkin behind them. The strain goes to be on rookie goalie Dylan Garand, and whereas he’s a promising prospect, it’s unlikely that he performs wherever near the extent of Shesterkin. This can be an enormous take a look at as to how a lot better the remainder of the roster truly is.
