Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers have flushed the 2024-25 season down the drain.
Just about everything went wrong from start to finish last year, and it resulted in changes to both players and personnel.
Longtime Rangers Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, and K’Andre Miller are gone, and Peter Laviolette is no longer behind the bench. Two-time Stanley Cup champion head coach Mike Sullivan is now in charge, with the addition of Vladislav Gavrikov and opportunities for young players now available for the taking.
It remains to be seen whether general manager Chris Drury has pushed all of the right buttons to get his team back to the form that saw them two wins away from making the Finals in 2023-24. However, Shesterkin appears to be a big fan of the moves because he didn’t hold back when asked what he expects from the Rangers this season. Beat writer Mollie Walker shared his response on X (formerly Twitter).
“Stanley Cup,” Shesterkin said.
What are Igor Shesterkin’s expectations for #NYR this season?
“Stanley Cup.”
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) September 19, 2025
The 29-year-old is coming off a down year statistically, where he went 27-29-5 with a 2.86 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and six shutouts, though a lot of that can be attributed to the team’s poor play in front of him.
Shesterkin is set to enter the first season of the massive eight-year, $92 million contract extension he signed with the Rangers in December of 2024.
New York needs Vezina Shesterkin
While the New York Rangers have a good enough roster to make the playoffs as is, if they want to truly compete for a Stanley Cup, they need Igor Shesterkin’s very best.
Last year’s disappointment left a bitter taste in the superstar goaltender’s mouth, and a motivated Shesterkin heading into 2025-26 is exactly what New York hopes to see.
If they get something close to the 2021-22 level of Igor Shesterkin, then making a deep playoff run might not be so far-fetched. On the flip side, a repeat of last season could spell another long year in the Big Apple.
