For years coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike Sullivan had to deal with inconsistent goaltending play and a revolving door of goalies.
Luckily for Sullivan, he’ll have Igor Shesterkin to rely on, so he shouldn't have that same problem with the New York Rangers.
The Rangers made Shesterkin the highest-paid goalie and Sullivan the highest-paid coach, so the hope is these two pillars of the franchise can create lasting partnership.
Through two days of training camp, Shesterkin has been impressed with the way Sullivan has conducted practice, as he had high praise for his new head coach.
“He is a pretty good coach,” Shesterkin said of Sullivan. “He knows what he wants, so he put hard work for everyone.”
After the Rangers missed the playoffs last season, Shesterkin admitted that he believes something broke within the team.
Now, Shesterkin wants to look to the future and put the Rangers’ past failures behind him.
“Of course we are focused on a new start,” Shesterkin said. “We forget last season. We just look to turn this page and be ready for the next preseason games and for opening night.”
There's Optimism Around Potential Adam Fox-Vladislav Gavrikov Defensive Pairing
Based on the first two days of training camp, it appears as if Adam Fox will be paired alongside Vladislav Gavrikov.
The 29-year-old goalie opened up about how he focused specifically on working on his strength throughout the offseason.
Usually soft-spoken and serious, Shesterkin was joking around with the media and seemed to be in a more light-hearted mood following the second day of training camp.
It’s a new season for Shesterkin while he looks to reclaim his status as the best goalie in the world.