There was a time when Igor Shesterkin was the New York Rangers ' saving grace, a Vezina Trophy winner in goal who was playing on the initial season of his first post-rookie NHL contract.
But those days are over. Shesterkin is no longer an underpaid star in goal. He's now signed to the largest goaltending contract in NHL history, an eight-year, $92 million deal that carries an average annual value of $11.5 million. Now they need him to live up to that contract.
While Shesterkin is 100-59-15 in the three seasons since winning the Vezina, he's had some dips and hiccups during that span — especially last season, when his won-lost record (27-29-5), goals-against average (2.86) and save percentage (.905) were all career lows. The Rangers can't afford those numbers again from the NHL's highest-paid goalie.
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"You're paying him now to be that 100 percent definite, all-in belief on your goaltender," Rangers beat writer Mollie Walker of the New York Post said on a recent episode of the DLLS Dallas Stars podcast . "He's supposed to steal all the games for you and such — especially with a price tag like that."
As he begins a record-setting contract with a new coach and a team that missed the playoffs last season after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2023-24, the pressure for Shesterkin to deliver is more apparent than ever.
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Shesterkin's Vezina-winning 2021-22 season still stands as his best. He led the NHL with 34.1 goals saved above expected (GSAx) and posted a 2.07 GAA. But it seems like there has been a slow pull back.
In 2022-23, Shesterkin was still excellent — finishing sixth in GSAx (28.1), according to MoneyPuck.com — but he was no longer alone at the top. Goalies like Connor Hellebuyck , Ilya Sorokin , and Juuse Saros started to climb the leaderboard. Then came 2023-24, where his GSAx dropped to 12.1, falling behind netminders like Sergei Bobrovsky , who led the Florida Panthers to victory over the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final before helping them win the Stanley Cup. Statistically speaking, it was his least-dominant season since becoming the Rangers' full-time starter.
Last season was a mixed bag. Though he had career-lows in the counting stats (wins, GAA and save percentage) Shesterkin finished with 21.6 goals saved above expected, fourth-best in the NHL, according to MoneyPuck. Shesterkin had four shutouts, all after the All-Star break. It was clear that he had found another gear, but he wasn't playing behind the same structure that helped him flourish. The Rangers' defense often leaked like a sieve, hanging him out to dry way too often and making it harder for Shesterkin to dominate the way he had previously.
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This season is the beginning of an entirely new phase in Shesterkin's career. The contract is no longer a headline; it's a reality — one that comes with the expectation that he performs like a $92 million goalie every night.
The Rangers are built to win now. Most of their core is in the back half of its prime, the Stanley Cup window is still open but narrowing and the margin for error in a loaded Eastern Conference is slim. Shesterkin is going to be judged through a new lens — not as a young star, but as the backbone of a team still chasing its first Stanley Cup in more than three decades.
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Mike Sullivan, who was hired as coach soon after the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette, brings a reputation for discipline and defensive accountability — something Shesterkin hasn't consistently had in front of him. Sullivan's teams during his 10 seasons coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins played within a system focused on puck support and limiting high-danger chances. He coached the Penguins to Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017, but the aging Pens missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.
However, Sullivan's style could make life easier for a goalie who's spent much of the past couple of seasons bailing out sloppy play and managing chaos in front of the crease.
Sullivan has worked with plenty of goaltenders over the years, including future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury . But even at his best, Fleury didn't post the kind of numbers Shesterkin has put up when he's locked in.
Better structure won't solve everything. Sullivan's system can only do so much if the players in front of Shesterkin don't execute. Careless turnovers, a lack of discipline and defensive lapses have plagued the Rangers, and those issues don't just disappear overnight.
But if the Blueshirts play tighter defense, limit mistakes and give their goaltender more help, the combination of Sullivan behind the bench and Shesterkin in net could push the Rangers back into Cup contention.
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