Mike Sullivan Reveals Just How He Will Balance Igor Shesterkin's Workload This upcoming Season
Photo credit: James Guillory-imagn images
The New York Rangers will take on the New Jersey Devils tonight, with goaltender Jonathan Quick in the net. The team's new ethos regarding netminding duties is more balanced, as Mike Sullivan explains how he'll keep Igor Shesterkin fresh and ready to go this year.
The New York Rangers depend on goaltender Igor Shesterkin to be healthy and ready to go. After his 27-29-5 record last season, the team will need him to rebound in order to put them back into win-now mode.
While he did finish with a .905 save percentage last season, if he had a better team in front of him and was well-rested, it's debatable that he'd have helped the team push further into the postseason, rather than a disappointing finish.
It's transparent that Mike Sullivan is prioritizing Shesterkin's rest, and splitting duties in a 1A-1B situation between himself and Jonathan Quick may be the answer instead of overworking him, like Peter Laviolette did last season.
The New York Rangers could learn from their Original Six Cousins, the Bruins, in this Situation
The New York Rangers could look to the Bruins' 2022-23 season, in which they would split the netminding duties between Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
The team would finish the year winning the Presidents' Trophy, giving Jim Montgomery notoriety for taking the scrappy team into the playoffs. The 1A-1B setup led to the team's most successful season in the last three years, with a 1st-place finish in the Atlantic and with 135 points.
The team's save percentage was .940, and had a 65-12-5 record.
While the Rangers' 2024-25 season was dismal, 39-36-7, 85 points, and finished 5th in the Metropolitan Division with a .919 save percentage at 5v5.
This could be the ideal situation for Igor Shesterkin to flourish once again after being the workhorse of the Rangers the last two years.
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