The New York Rangers’ hot start to the 2026-27 NHL season took a turn for the worst, as star goaltender Igor Shesterkin is out for the season after suffering a lower-body injury in Friday’s loss to the Washington Capitals.
The Rangers announced the devastating news on Saturday following a scary injury in which the 30-year-old’s right skate jammed into the post while gliding across his crease in the first period.
It was a nasty-looking injury, as video replay showed Shesterkin’s leg awkwardly bent after his skate jammed into the post during a scramble in the Rangers’ zone. Shesterkin was just trying to reposition after making a save, but he wasn’t prepared for the impact with the pipe.
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“Well, it’s concerning obviously,” Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said after the game. “He’s an elite goaltender, and you don’t ever want to see anybody get hurt, but obviously he’s an important player for us.”
Shesterkin, who signed an eight-year, $92 million deal in December 2024, was unable to put weight on his right leg as his teammates helped him off the ice. The Capitals ended up taking the win, 3-1, at home.
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Dyland Garand took over for Shesterkin in net, and he’ll need to have a larger role moving forward.
It doesn’t help that New York is also dealing with goalie injuries beyond Shesterkin, with Joonas Korpisalo expected to miss another month, per The New York Post, while Spencer Martin at AHL Hartford is considered day-to-day.
It’s unknown whether the Rangers will be looking outside the organization for a goalie replacement, though it should be discussed considering the options at the moment.
“It’s awful,” Rangers captain J.T. Miller said after the game, per Yahoo Sports. “He’s a pillar of this team. It stinks. …We don’t even know what’s going on, but to see him leave the game is a shot to all of us, a shock to all of us. But at the same time, it means we got to step up to a man to try to get the job done, especially [Garand].”
The Rangers are coming off a brutal 2025-26 campaign in which they finished at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with a 34-39-9 record for a total of 77 points. By comparison, the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes had 113 points at the end of the regular season.
After a loss to the Boston Bruins to begin the new campaign, the Rangers ripped off four straight wins behind tremendous goaltending by their netminder. Shesterkin allowed just five goals total across the four wins, while owning a .927 save percentage (101 saves on 109 shots) for the season.
