Rangers have to nervously wait after Igor Shesterkin exits game

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rangers nervously wait for updates after Igor Shesterkin exits game with injury

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 9, 2026 10:35 PM ET

After winning four of their first five games, things were looking really good for the New York Rangers to start the 2026-27 NHL season.

As is usually the case when they win, starting goalie Igor Shesterkin has been at the center of a lot of that initial success.

But now they have to sit and wait with nervous energy to find out just how bad the lower-body injury that forced him out of Friday's 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals ends up being.

Rangers have no initial update on Igor Shesterkin's status

Shesterkin was injured during a scramble around his net when he jammed his skate into the goal post.

The net had no give, and Shesterkin remained on the ice in obvious pain. He had to be helped to the locker room and was putting no weight on his leg as he went off.

Igor Shesterkin suffers a lower-body injury after jamming his leg into the post. pic.twitter.com/p5ZbQRWnHN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 10, 2026

Shesterkin is not only one of the NHL's best goalies, but he is typically the engine that makes the Rangers run. For so many years, they have put flawed defensive teams around him that get consistently outplayed during 5-on-5 play, and he has almost always been one of the players who have been able to lift them and mask it.

He missed some time during the 2025-26 season due to injury, and it was one of the biggest factors in their down year that saw them finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Having him back and healthy at the start of the season was going to be a game-changer for them.

Entering play on Friday, he had already saved 4.1 goals above expected (via MoneyPuck), for one of the best marks in the league.

The Rangers' backup goalie at the moment is 24-year-old Dylan Garand, and while he is a very interesting prospect with a potential future in the league, he is not Shesterkin, or anything close to his level. Expecting him to carry the load in net for an extended period of time could become a problem. Now the Rangers just have to wait to find out how long they will need him to do that.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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