Can we emotionally move on from Henrik? This season it will be Georgiev and Shesterkin in charge of the blue paint for the Blue Shirts.
Last season, in many ways, felt like New York Rangers fans were living the greatest hits album of Boyz II Men. As we watched what was undoubtedly the “End of the Road” for Henrik Lundqvist, every start felt like it could have been his last.
And, when the postseason finally arrived, it certainly was “So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
Though he isn’t with the organization any longer, we’re still cheering for The King as he recovers from heart surgery. Here’s hoping he recovers to have a happy, healthy life. We look forward to seeing his number in the rafters at MSG.
Now here we are in January of 2021 with two young, potential star goaltenders fighting for ice time. Let’s talk about the new era in net for the New York Rangers.
The Goaltenders
Barring some unforeseen circumstances, the Rangers should boast one of the best goaltending tandems in the league.
Alexandar Georgiev had a great camp and will likely play in fewer than half of the Rangers’ games this season, but he’s a very solid backup who’s shown flashes of starter potential at various points in his young career.
Veteran goalie Keith Kinkaid has cleared waivers and was placed on the team’s taxi squad. He shouldn’t get much playing time at all, but having an experienced and capable veteran around for emergency situations is both helpful and important.
The heir to Lundqvist’s throne, Igor Shesterkin is expected to be the Rangers’ goalie of the future and is even the Calder Trophy favorite. Like his countryman and backup, Georgiev, Shesterkin had a very strong camp.
Quinn has confirmed that Shesterkin will start in net in the season opener.
Igor Shesterkin will start in goal for the Rangers tomorrow.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) January 13, 2021
The Rangers had a busy offseason and will have a lot going on this season.
The playoffs might be out of reach, but this year is important if the team hopes to go back to becoming one of the most consistently dominant teams in the league as they were throughout the past decade.
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