Igor Shesterkin was the subject of many in-season Ramblings and Irrational Takes after signing his monster contract last season. But a seasonal assessment is not about the contract he signed, especially since he still had his old contract last season. It’s about how he looked on the ice and whether he did enough as the best and most important rangers player. It is easy to see how the season went and saying that he did not do enough, but how many of those problems are really on the keeper?
Starting with the figures from Igor Shesterkin, people will look at his .905 SV% and his 2.86 GAA – the worst number of single season of his career – and state that his season was an objective failure. Of course there is more to the numbers than the eye, but on the surface they are not good figures and were in the bottom third of the starters of the NHL.
GAA is not the best stat for goalkeepers because so much team is dependent, and SV% does not take into account the quality of the opportunities with which he is confronted. For that we have to look at some more advanced figures. Evolving hockey Had saved his GSax (goals above) at 28.59 in all the strengths, which was 6th in the NHL last season, but 5th under real workhorse starters with 3000 minutes. When it comes to expected goals, which factors in the type of shot, quality, location and distance of the network, Shesterkin faced the 2nd most difficult workload on 197.49 XGA.
Shesterkin stood for the 2nd-strict average shot distance of 34.56 (Alex Georgiev was the worst at 33.88). The fact that he came out last season with a rough SV% over .900 is a miracle. The analysis is simple. The raw songs from Igor Shesterkin were not great, but he was besieged almost every game. This was easy to do the worst defensive team for Sherkin, but he also did not necessarily play until previous years. In particular, he struggled with shots of the high lock, an area that the Rangers in essence donated to opponents one night.
Last season a lot of attention focused on the impact of the dressing room, and it is really unknown how vocal Igor Shesterkin is in the dressing room and how much influence he has as a leader. He will most likely end as a leader in the dressing room, much in the same spirit as Henrik Lundqvist, but I do not believe that he was an important gear in that leadership group last season. Probably for the better.
Igor Shesterkin is the most important ranger, but current and future. His enormous contract, which will take effect this season, will be used as an evaluation tool in the future. He is worth every cent, especially if you look at other goalkeeper contracts and compare some work with Shesterkin. Shesterkin is a top three keeper in the NHL, full stop. There is only so much that a keeper can do when the rest of the team folded around him.
Aside, apart from the report card of this season, Igor Shesterkin is paid for what he does in the late season. Its .928 SV% over 44 playoff games is one of the best. That jumps to .935 SV% in elimination games, Per Stat Musewhat is Lundqvist-like.
2024-2024 Igor Shesterkin Report Card Grade: B+
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