Since the start of this site in December 2008, grading the Rangers goalies has been easy. It’s no different with our 2024 Igor Shesterkin report card, as he was clearly the best player on the Rangers, especially in the playoffs. But a midseason blip with his glove side made people doubt him, which was rather amusing both in hindsight and at the time.
Shesterkin had his “worst” season as a Ranger, at least statistically in the regular season, with a 2.56 GAA and a .913 SV%. But again, he did hit that stretch in Winter where he was getting beat regularly high glove. Shesterkin made the most of the All Star break and the light schedule after, with the Rangers relying on Jonathan Quick in net while Shesterkin worked with Benoit Allaire. It stirred a media driven goalie controversy, but there was no controversy to speak of.
Shesterkin came back after a few missed games sandwiching the All Star break, and the rest, as they say, is history. The glove side issues were a blip, much like Henrik Lundqvist’s glove issues way back when.
Stats like GAA and SV% don’t tell the whole story of a goalie, as they don’t take team quality or shot quality into effect. Stats like the ones used above help take both into account. At 5v5, Shesterkin outplayed the quality of the team in front of him, which is what you expect from a goalie of his caliber. There were some struggles shorthanded, but again those high glove issues will impact the overall numbers.
It was the playoffs where Shesterkin truly shined though. Shesterkin dipped below a .900 SV% just five times, once against Washington, three times against Carolina, and once against Florida. Interestingly enough, the Rangers won three of those games.
The Rangers go as Shesterkin goes. He can’t mask everything, but he certainly makes their jobs easier. His grade would be higher (A+) if he didn’t have the glove side issues midseason.
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