The New York Rangers’ lineup is headlined by one of the best goalies in the world. Igor Shesterkin has established himself as a world-class netminder over the past few seasons. But behind Shesterkin, the Rangers have another elite talent who could see an increase in playing time this upcoming season.
Should the Rangers give Jonathan Quick more playing time in 2024-25?
Shesterkin provided the Blueshirts with some of the best goaltending in the NHL last season — as has become the standard for him over the past several years. But on the rare occasions when Shesterkin did not start for New York, they did not suffer a drastic drop-off in quality between the pipes.
Veteran goalie Jonathan Quick played an important role for the Rangers last season. The 17-year NHL veteran brought with him a wealth of experience and leadership capabilities to New York. Though he played 27 games last season, Quick still appeared to be one of the league’s elite goalies.
In those 27 games, Quick earned an 18-6-2 record with a .911 SV% and a 2.62 GAA with two shutouts. Not only did he provide the team with special leadership as an experienced, Stanley Cup-winning veteran, but he also provided them with consistent and reliable goalie play throughout the year.
When asked about his All-Star selection in 2024, Shesterkin opted to praise Quick’s performance throughout the season (h/t The Hockey News):
“I was actually so skeptical about this because I understood that I don’t deserve to be there … Well, in my understanding, it should’ve been Quick,” Shesterkin said. “It was psychologically hard for me that I didn’t deserve it and so on, the percentage of saved shots when I was an All-Star was 89 percent.”
Quick, in some ways, had outperformed Shesterkin for a portion of the season. Of course, Shesterkin broke out of his slump and reestablished himself as one of the best players in the NHL by the regular and postseason ends. But Quick had definitely impressed during his time on the ice, which begs the question as to how much he should play next season.
Giving Quick more starts during the regular season could be a worthwhile tactic that head coach Peter Laviolette employs to give Shesterkin more rest in the leadup to the postseason. However, Shesterkin’s talent is so great that it might be too difficult to take him off the ice for an increased sample size of games.
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It’s hard to take Igor Shesterkin off of the ice
Without Shesterkin in net, the Rangers would not have made it as far into the postseason as they did in 2024. He carried them to many victories with heroic performances, stealing goals, and winning games.
Though, at times, one could argue that Shesterkin seemed a bit gassed. The Rangers’ suspect defensive corps was allowing him to face a high volume of shots throughout the regular season and the playoffs. Ultimately, there is only so much one goalie can face, and the Rangers do need to be careful not to overwork Shesterkin this season.
In 2023-24, Shesterkin played 55 regular-season games, going 36-17-2, and allowing a .912 SV% and 2.58 GAA. In the playoffs, Shesterkin made all 16 starts for the Blueshirts, going 10-6 and allowing a .926 SV% and 2.34 GAA. He was asked to make a ridiculous 524 save attempts in those 16 games, highlighting the overloaded workload that the Rangers’ defensive corps was giving their goalie.
Laviolette will need to balance the benefits and drawbacks of giving Shesterking a surplus of playing time. Maintaining his current workload should keep him sharp heading into the playoffs next year. But maybe giving Quick some more regular-season starts will allow Shesterkin to head into the postseason with more energy. Both goalies are tremendously talented and have earned the right to start a high number of games for the Rangers this season.
