Many of the New York Rangers’ top players struggled last season, which ended with them missing the playoffs. Poor defense plagued them and played a big role in star goalie Igor Shesterkin finishing with the worst record, save percentage (SV%), and goals-against average (GAA) of his career. However, the team should be better defensively, and they should have faith that he will bounce back this season.
Shesterkin’s 2024-25 Season
After making his debut in 2019-20, Shesterkin proved to be a star and someone the rebuilding Rangers could build around. In 2021-22, he won the Vezina Trophy as he finished with a 36-13-4 record, a .935 SV%, and a 2.07 GAA. He has also stepped up in the postseason, as he has won 23 of his 44 starts with a .928 SV% and a 2.41 GAA. He helped New York make a run to the Eastern Conference Final in both 2021-22 and 2023-24.
Related: Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin Was Robbed of Winning the Hart Trophy In 2021-22
Throughout his career, Shesterkin has come through in big moments late in close games, and he got off to a strong start last season. He shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 6-0 victory on Oct. 9 and won back-to-back one-goal games over the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 14 and Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 19. After starting the season 8-4-1, the team lost 11 of his next 14 starts.
Shesterkin continued to show off elite quickness, and he made some great clutch saves late in games. However, the team consistently got outplayed and had far too many defensive breakdowns. Peter Laviolette’s man-to-man defensive system, which worked well for the Rangers in 2023-24, did not work in 2024-25. Players were repeatedly caught out of position, leading to chances from the slot and odd-man rushes.
Throughout Shesterkin’s time with the Rangers, they have been able to win games despite getting outplayed, thanks to his play in goal and their strong special teams. Despite continuing to keep them in games last season, their repeated defensive lapses plagued them for the entire season and made it tough for him to win games. Additionally, they had trouble offensively and scored on just 17.6 percent of their power plays, after scoring on 26.4 percent of them in 2023-24.
Shesterkin finished the season with a 27-29-5 record, a .905 SV%, and a 2.86 GAA. He led the NHL in both shots faced with 1,751 and saves with 1,584. While he did not play at the…
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