What more is left for Igor Shesterkin to do?
The Rangers goalie brought rare joy to Madison Square Garden in Tuesday’s win over the Devils, inspiring and entertaining his teammates after throwing down with goalie Jacob Markstrom in his first career fight.
Shesterkin did it while performing like the former Vezina Trophy winner who led the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy two years ago, allowing one goal for the second straight game and leading the team to its first three-game home win streak this season.
Shesterkin gives the team its best chance to win when wins aren’t necessarily in the best interest of a team looking ahead to the June draft. He is the $92 million foundation for whatever the Rangers’ retooling brings.
His backups offer uncertainty.
Jonathan Quick, 40, will be a free agent and is finishing an underwhelming third season in New York, going 5-16-2 with a 3.19 goals against average and .889 save percentage. Dylan Garand, 23, has brought excitement in his first two career starts, going 1-0-1 with a 1.44 GAA and a .954 save percentage.
It would make sense to see the rookie goalie make multiple starts during the final seven games of a lost season, but head coach Mike Sullivan appears reluctant to do so at the expense of his respected veterans.
“We’ll make decisions based on what we think is best for all three guys,” Sullivan said after Monday’s practice. “Obviously [Shesterkin] is our No. 1 goalie. He’s an important element of what we do moving forward. [Quick] is a guy that’s been a huge leader and voice in our locker room. … Dylan’s had two really good starts for us and we’re excited about potentially where his game can go moving forward.
“Based on his performance, is [Garand] deserving of another start? Yes. That’s a fair statement. But I’ll also tell you there’s multiple objectives in mind and that’s what we’re trying to manage. Does he get one more start? Does he get two more starts? At the end of the day, is that gonna significantly influence where we stand as far as assessing his overall game? Probably not. What I’m encouraged with is what I’ve witnessed to this point. Watching Dylan play, he’s a great kid, he’s a competitor, he loves hockey, we love all those things about him.”
Garand could be in line to start as soon as Thursday’s home game against the Canadiens, as the Rangers (31-35-9) attempt to match a season-high four-game win streak. Another opportunity comes with the team’s back-to-back games this weekend.
Garand stopped 27 of his 28 shots Friday, earning his first career win against the Blackhawks. Quick — who hasn’t played since allowing six goals to the Devils on March 18 — is nearing his return from an upper-body injury, and Sullivan sounds as if he’d like to get the most accomplished American goaltender of all time back on the ice, potentially in his final season.
And then there is Shesterkin, who still wants to fight.
“When you look at the stretch of games moving forward, [Shesterkin] has a desire to play because he loves to play hockey and that’s important from my standpoint,” Sullivan said. “[Shesterkin’s] gonna play games because he has a desire to play. … We have [seven] games, so it’s not like there’s a huge amount of games that we have an opportunity to get everybody what they need.”