The New York Rangers have had a fine history of goaltenders. From Richter to Lundqvist, fans have seen some of the best goaltending on this team. What does this mean for the future though?
While Lundqvist has expressed his dedication to this team and has been nothing but stellar, fans are sensing that this era can be coming to an end soon. With that being said, fans have their eyes on one of the top goalie prospects that can be the perfect fit for this team.
In 2014, the Rangers selected Igor Shestyorkin in the 4th round of the draft. Shestyorkin is a goaltender who played with SKA Saint Petersburg. Recently, the New York Rangers signed the young goalie to a contract. Fans have been waiting for this as the Russian goalie can be the next Lundqvist.
Igor Shestyorkin is 23 years old and is from Russia. He is 6’1″ and 183 lbs. Shestyorkin is young and built, which is exactly what this team needs. Many say this goalie reminds them a lot like Lundqvist. Fans see that Shestyorkin can make unbelievable saves, kind of like how Lundqvist can. It makes sense that fans have been calling him the “prince” to match Lundqvist’s “king” title.
In the 2018-2019 KHL season, Shestyorkin had the best goals-against average (1.11) and the best save percentage (.953). In the playoffs for SKA, the goalie played 10 games and had 1.95 goals against average and .904 save percentage.
Throughout Shestyorkins whole career, the highest goals against average that he’s had was 2.80. That is still insanely low and should get fans very excited.
As of now, time will tell when we can finally see Shestyorkin in action. The contract he signed with the Rangers on May 3 was entry level and could be around the $925,000 maximum.
Lundqvist, as of now, has two years left on his contract. With both Lundqvist and Georgiev still active, Shestyorkin could see time in the AHL.
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