Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin Makes Early Case for Vezina Trophy

Since 2020-21, only Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has recorded more shutouts than Shesterkin.

Hellebuyck is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and he took home last season’s Hart Trophy.

Shesterkin captured the Vezina Trophy for the first time in his career in 2022. It wouldn’t be surprising if he adds a second Vezina to his trophy case at season’s end.

Why Rangers Fans Can Expect Shesterkin to Return to Form

The Blueshirts were a disjointed mess defensively last season and no goaltender in the NHL faced more shots against than Shesterkin. He was under constant pressure, recording a league-high 1,584 saves. No one faced more shots against than the 1,751 pucks that were fired in his direction.

Shesterkin’s .905 save percentage and 2.86 goals against average were both career worsts. Anyone who’s followed the Rangers closely knows that those numbers represent a blemish on an otherwise potential Hall of Fame résumé.

The addition of steady blue liner Vladislav Gavrikov and the influence of two-time Stanley Cup-winning head coach Mike Sullivan should produce cleaner defending, less stressful scrambles in the slot and more offensive zone time.

Shesterkin faced the second-worst average shot distance among all goaltenders last season at 34.56. If the Rangers are even marginally better in their own end this season, his numbers should rebound.

His 65 saves on 66 shots against to open the new campaign are proof that Shesterkin can fully recapture the form that allowed him to shine as the league’s best goaltender in 2021-22.

When the Rangers made him the NHL’s highest-paid netminder at $11.5 million in average annual value, they did so knowing that he is the definition of a franchise goaltender.

As the 2025-26 season unfolds, Shesterkin will continue to remind everyone why that eight-year $92 million contract was a safe investment and why he’s capable of capturing a second career Vezina crown.