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New York Rangers report cards: Grading goalies Igor Shesterkin, Jonathan Quick
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- New York Rangers report cards: Grading goalies Igor Shesterkin, Jonathan Quick
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
New York Rangers goaltenders benefitted from a more consistent defensive structure in front of them this season. That's in stark contrast to 2024-25, when effort and execution were not exactly hallmarks of how the Rangers approached playing defense as a team.
That's not to say things were perfect, nor always went smoothly, for the Rangers and their goalies in 2025-26. A quick look at the final standings , shows that the Rangers (34-39-9) finished last in the Eastern Conference and 30th overall with 77 points, eight fewer than the year before.
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But the overall team goals-against average dropped a bit from 3.11 to 3.04 year over year, though the Rangers remained in the middle of the pack in team defense — finishing 15th this season , one spot worse than in 2024-25.
The Rangers did allow fewer shots on goal this season (28.8 on average, compared to 29.9 in 2024-25). However, at the time of his injury in early January, Igor Shesterkin faced more shots than any other goalie in the League.
All that said, let's focus specifically on the Rangers goalies in the latest round of 2025-26 report cards. Note that Dylan Garand , who was terrific in three late-season starts, and Spencer Martin , not so good over six games (four starts) during Shesterkin's month-long injury absence, didn't play enough to be fairly graded at the NHL level. However, a subsequent report card for Rangers rookies will include Garand.
Igor Shesterkin : A-
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
In the first season of his record-setting eight-year, $92 million contract , worth $11.5 million annually, Shesterkin earned his keep. Often without much offensive support from his teammates — especially on home ice — Shesterkin played brilliantly most of the season and routinely gave the Rangers a good chance to win games, even when more often than not they proved incapable of doing so.
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The 30-year-old was tied for third among NHL goalies who played at least 30 games with a .912 save percentage, and his 21.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck , was sixth best in the League. Shesterkin's 2.50 goals-against average was his personal best in three seasons, and vastly better than the 2.86 GAA he put up in a personally very disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
The lower-body injury sustained by Shesterkin on Jan. 5 against the Utah Mammoth , coupled with Adam Fox's injury the same night, submarined New York's season. The Rangers cratered, lost 11 of 13 games without their two stars, dropped to the cellar of the conference, and led to GM Chris Drury's mandate for a "retool" of the roster. It was further evidence of simply how invaluable Shesterkin is to the Rangers.
No, Shesterkin hasn't reached his peak form of 2021-22, when he won the Vezina Trophy with a 2.02 GAA and surreal .935 save percentage, but he again was among the best goalies in the NHL this season.
Oh, and bonus points for Shesterkin after his goalie fight with Jacob Markstrom . Not only did Shesterkin meet the challenge, he put a beating on the New Jersey Devils goalie.
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Jonathan Quick : D+
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The final season of Quick's 18-year NHL career didn't go the way he, nor the Rangers, would've liked. Quick started strong, playing roughly once per week as the No. 2 behind Shesterkin. But cracks in his game first appeared in November, when he resembled the aging goaltender that faltered and wasn't as sharp in 2024-25. It all unraveled for Quick when he took over the reins as New York's No. 1 goalie with Shesterkin sidelined in January. To be honest, it was tough to watch this future Hall of Famer struggle as badly as he did.
Quick finished 6-17-2 in 25 games (24 starts), with a 3.09 GAA and .891 save percentage. He battled his ass off out there, as feisty as ever, and did hit a high note in his final home game at Madison Square Garden, making 32 saves and just missing a shutout in the final minute of a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on April 4. Though, fittingly for how this season went, Quick lost his final NHL start nine days later, stopping 13 of 16 shots in a 3-2 road loss to the Florida Panthers .
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The 40-year-old heads into retirement as the winningest United States-born goalie in NHL history (410 victories, 12th all-time), along with three Stanley Cup rings, a Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in 2012, and the final three seasons playing for the Rangers, his favorite team growing up in Connecticut.
The Rangers will miss his veteran leadership — he was revered by his teammates — but it felt like it was time to move on.
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