Igor Shesterkin is coming off another spectacular campaign between the pipes for the Rangers, and he was just named the league’s top goaltender right now by NHL Network.
Shesterkin missed time and battled through a lower-body injury early on, but he ultimately returned to form and was dominant for the Presidents’ Trophy winners down the stretch and in the playoffs this year.
He was named to his third consecutive All-Star game and finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting after recording 36 wins, four shutouts, a .912 save percentage, and a 2.58 goals against average across 55 appearances.
Shesterkin was at his best when things mattered the most, putting the Rangers completely on his back and carrying them to seven consecutive victories to open the postseason, including a 54-save effort in a Game 2 double overtime win over the Hurricanes.
The 28-year-old was also spectacular during the Eastern Conference Finals, despite his team being overmatched by the Florida Panthers, as he stopped 30+ shots in four of the six games to give them a fighters chance before ultimately being eliminated.
“I haven’t seen a series by a goaltender like that since Jose Theodore in 2002, he was absolutely brilliant,” Florida head coach Paul Maurice said afterward.
Things will get interesting for the Rangers and Shesterkin next offseason, as he is set to hit the open market for the first time in his career as an unrestricted free agent, and he’s said to be seeking a record-setting deal for a goaltender.
He certainly deserves every penny he asks for, though, as he’s been the main catalyst behind the Rangers’ deep postseason runs over the past few seasons.
The rest of the top five on NHL Network’s list is rounded out by Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, Boston’s Jeremy Swayman, and Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders.
