The New York Rangers announced today that they have called up goaltenderIgor Shesterkin from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Shesterkin was taken by the Rangers in the 4th round of the 2014 draft.
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This move has Rangers fans very excited as Shesterkin is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. This is his first season in North America, as he spent the previous six seasons in the KHL, mainly with St. Petersburg SKA. In Shesterkin's final three seasons in the KHL, he posted ridiculous numbers. This includes last season's 1.11 goals against average with an incredible .953 save percentage along with a 24-4-0 record.
The transition to the North American game hasn't seemed to slow him down any, as he has flat out dominated for the Hartford Wolf Pack with a 1.93 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. His record is also outstanding, as he has gone 15-4-3 on the year. This will be his first time in the NHL, and he is expected to make his debut tomorrow night against the Colorado Avalanche.
With these numbers, it is easy to see that he forced the Rangers hand and gave them no option other than to call him up. What is interesting about this move is that the Rangers do not appear to have an injury to either of their current goalies.Henrik Lundqvist , who is a Rangers icon, has been battling the flu but is not expected to miss any time. The other, Alexander Georgiev, also appears to be healthy.
Lundqvist and Georgiev have played a nearly even amount of games, and have both put up very similar numbers. Both goaltenders' goals against average sit above three, while Lundqvist's save percentage of .910 just narrowly places ahead of Georgiev's .909. There have been no other comments yet on the call up of Shesterkin, so it will be interesting to see if perhaps the Rangers trade one of their two current netminders or roll with all three for the time being.
