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There's both bad news and good news for the New York Rangers on a Saturday afternoon.
The bad news is that goaltender Igor Shesterkin, the team's franchise goaltender whom they just signed to a mammoth new contract extension, is going to be missing the next one to two weeks with an injury.
The good news? The Rangers have only one game before the upcoming 4 Nations Face-off tournament, and Shesterkin is expected to be available for New York once the regular NHL schedule resumes.
Shesterkin was most recently in action against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 3-2 loss in which he made 23 saves. The Rangers face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night; Jonathan Quick is expected to get the start.
The Rangers gave Igor Shesterkin the richest contract for a goaltender in NHL history
Despite initially rejecting a contract before the season, the Rangers and Shesterkin came to an agreement on a massive eight-year, $92 million extension. When the deal kicks in ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season, Shesterkin will surpass Carey Price ($10.5 million cap hit) as the highest-paid goalie in NHL history.
For Drury, it's good to have the “certainty” that he needed with Shesterkin, via The New York Post.
“It’s really nice to have it done,” Drury said after the deal was completed. “To have the certainty with the position and knowing what the cap hit is going to be moving forward. We’re excited to get it done. Excited to move forward with him.”
“It’s my job to try and figure out on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis what the team needs,” he said. “I’m certainly not opposed to make more changes, but big picture, with that said, the team has been through a lot the last couple of weeks and certainly this week. I’d like to let the dust settle a little bit. … Just like to see the team get settled in with this a little bit.”
So far this season, Shesterkin has gone 18-19-2 with a 2.87 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage, and racked up three shutouts.
