The Two Sides Of Igor Shesterkin That Have Propelled Him To Greatness

With the New York Rangers fighting to make the playoffs, Igor Shesterkin has elevated his game and overall mindset. 

The Rangers are in a dogfight to keep their postseason hopes alive as they’ve been forced to heavily rely on Shesterkin. 

Shesterkin has started the past seven games and while the Rangers have not won them all, the superstar goalie continues to stand on his head. 

The 29-year-old has made up for some of New York’s defensive lapses, being forced to make show-stopping saves in what seems like multiple times every period recently.

The only reason the Rangers have been able to keep games close and win some of them has been due to Shesterkin, which the whole team realizes. 

“There’s a reason why we pay him so much money,” Jonny Brodzinski said of Shesterkin. “He’s the best goalie in the league. The reason why you do that is he makes saves like that… He’s making big-time saves and he makes it look easy, so it’s always nice knowing he’s back there.” 

There were some critics after Shesterkin was rewarded an eight-year, $92 million extension, which made him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history.

Brodzinski is right though. Shesterkin is proving not only is he worth $11.5 million per season, but also that he’s the best goalie in the world. 

In the biggest moments and when the Rangers need him most, Shesterkin always comes through. 

It doesn't matter if his stats aren’t super flashy sometimes because he can carry a team on his shoulders at critical points, a trait that most goalies don’t possess. 

Through the past couple of weeks, Shesterkin has seemed more focused and passionate. He’s been seen slamming his stick during practice in frustration and even getting into scuffles with opponents during games. 

There are two sides of Shesterkin that make him elite. 

He’s calm and composed while also being extremely intense and competitive. He’s soft spoken yet loud on the ice in terms of his fiery energy and flashy play. 

The Rangers will only go as far as their goalie takes them, so expect Shesterkin to hold a heavy workload for the remainder of the season.