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Why NHL podcaster believes Rangers are closer to winning Stanley Cup than Oilers
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- Why NHL podcaster believes Rangers are closer to winning Stanley Cup than Oilers
Danny Wild-Imagn Images Danny Wild-Imagn Images
The 2025 Stanley Cup Final served as another reminder of just how critical goaltending remains in today's NHL. Despite their offensive star power, the Edmonton Oilers came up short for the second year in a row against the Florida Panthers in part because their goalies — Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard — were badly outplayed by Sergei Bobrovsky .
Perhaps you really do get what you pay for when it comes to big-game goalies in the NHL. This Cup run by the Panthers again reinforced why investing in a world-class goaltender like the Rangers did with Igor Shesterkin is essential.
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"This is more about talking about why having an elite Hall of Fame goaltender — and I know not everybody can be a Hall of Famer — this is why, when Igor Shesterkin — you know — stomps his feet and wants to be paid a shitload of money with the leverage that he had, that's why you do it," Colby Cohen said on a recent Daily Faceoff podcast.
"Like, to me, the New York Rangers are closer to winning a Stanley Cup than the Edmonton Oilers are if the Edmonton Oilers' goaltenders are Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard."
Skinner started five of the six games in the Cup Final, was pulled in two of the starts and benched in Game 5, which Pickard started and lost. Skinner's struggles were a key storyline in the Final. He allowed at least three goals in each of his starts and 19 in total, only once finishing a start with better than a .900 save percentage (Game 1 overtime win).
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After Skinner was pulled 3:27 into the third period of a 6-1 loss in Game 3, he was yanked again in Game 4 after allowing three goals on 17 shots in the opening period. Pickard came in to relieve Skinner, and led the Oilers to a 5-4 overtime comeback win. Pickard's performance in Game 4 earned him the start in Game 5, but Skinner returned for Game 6 and was badly outplayed by Bobrovsky. Skinner finished the series with a .851 save percentage, not championship-level play.
Bobrovsky had a save percentage under .905 in just one game, and allowed three goals in the final two games after the series was tied 2-2. That doesn't even get into the amount of huge saves he made, especially early in games when the Oilers pushed but the Panthers routinely scored first.
Related: New York Rangers Daily: Brad Marchand trolls Blueshirts; Connor McDavid future; Stars make moves
Sergei Bobrovsky, Igor Shesterkin prove spending big on No. 1 goalie pays off
Igor Shesterkin is Rangers backbone
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Last fall, the Rangers made a long-term, big-money investment in Shesterkin. The star goalie agreed to an eight-year, $92 million contract extension that carries an annual cap hit of $11.5 million through 2033, the largest contract for a goalie in NHL history .
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But for a 29-year-old in his prime and already regarded as one of the League's elite, it was a price the Rangers front office had no hesitation paying.
Since debuting with the Rangers in 2019-20, Shesterkin has played 274 regular-season games, compiling a career 2.52 goals-against average, .917 save percentage, and 21 shutouts. His 2021-22 Vezina Trophy season is still one of the most dominant goaltending campaigns in New York Rangers history, with 36 wins, a 2.07 GAA, .935 save percentage, and six shutouts.
But it's in the playoffs where Shesterkin's value truly shines. In 44 career postseason starts, he owns a 2.41 GAA and .928 save percentage. Few performances were more memorable than his 79-save performance in Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference First Round against the Pittsburgh Penguins — a franchise record for most saves.
Of course, it should be noted that the Rangers lost that game in triple overtime. And brings to mind how many times his brilliant play simply gave the Rangers a chance during the postseason, notably in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers. Though outplayed pretty much the entire series, Shesterkin kept the Rangers in each of the six games before they succumbed and lost the series.
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Even in seasons where his numbers have regressed some — like this past season (2.86 GAA, .905 save percentage in 61 games) — Shesterkin outright steals games, erases defensive breakdowns, and keep the Rangers afloat in nearly every single game.
Florida's $10 million payoff with Sergei Bobrovsky
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And if there was ever a blueprint to justify that kind of contract, it's been on display the past three springs, when Bobrovsky led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final each season, and the championship in consecutive years. Bobrovsky, carrying a $10 million cap hit of his own, once again delivered exactly what a true No. 1 goaltender is paid to do. Florida's investment paid off with back-to-back championships, and the Rangers are hoping that their investment in Shesterkin will do the same.
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