The New York Rangers have recalled goaltender Igor Shesterkin from the Hartford Wolf Pack, doing exactly as expected.
Earlier on Wednesday, the New York Rangers recalled goaltender Igor Shesterkin from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Rangers sent him down at the beginning of their bye week on Jan. 22 so he could pick up some playing time while the Rangers rested.
His recall comes as no surprise; this was the expectation.
During his week in Hartford, Shesterkin started twice, making a total of 59 saves on 62 shots and improving his AHL GAA to 1.90 and SV% to .934 on the year.
It appears as though the Rangers’ three-headed goaltender rotation, comprised of Shesterkin, Alexandar Georgiev and Henrik Lundqvist, will continue to be the norm for now until, most likely, the team is able to find a new home for Georgiev.
Shesterkin has played in three games with the Rangers and has a record of 2-1 during that span with a 2.68 GAA and .929 SV%.
Shesterkin should see a lot of action with the Blueshirts in the second half or so of the season, but none of this necessarily means that he will not be sent back down to Hartford this year. The Wolf Pack are playing exceptionally good hockey this season and will probably make the playoffs.
If the plan is for Shesterkin to play in the AHL playoffs, he would have to be sent back down to Hartford before the AHL trade deadline. This will be extremely unlikely, however, if Georgiev is moved before then.
Shesterkin is the recognized goalie of the future for the Rangers and Lundqvist has one more year left on his deal, a no-trade clause and something left in the tank. Therefore, Georgiev looks to be the odd man out.
He has been great in net, so they will likely fetch a solid return. The goaltending situation will make much more sense once Georgiev is gone, as it will allow Lundqvist and Shesterkin to get into a groove.
For now, it’s back to the three-headed goaltender situation.
