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Dans les coulisses

Igor Shesterkin in the same conversation as Martin Brodeur, according to Cory Schneider

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 30: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers during the national anthem prior to the game against the Florida Panthers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

A few days ago, the NHL website unveiled its ranking of the top 10 goalkeepers in the NHL.

At the top, I think we can agree that seeing Igor Shesterkin is no surprise. He’s an excellent goalie.

The real surprise is Linus Ullmark at number 10. – Ilya Samsonov (probably)

If the Russian isn’t at the top of everyone’s rankings, he’s certainly in the top-3.

In 2023-2024, he finished the campaign with an efficiency average of .927 and a goals-against average of 2.28. In an era when he’s scoring goals for himself, it’s pretty impressive to see such stats.

The man who has been playing since the 2019-2020 season has a career goals-against average of 2.41 and an efficiency average of .922. The Russian will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025, and let’s just say he’ll be a top priority for the team. I have no doubt that he will become the highest-paid goaltender of all time.

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In fact, for this and other reasons, Cory Schneider puts the goaltender in the same conversation as Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price.

One thing’s for sure, the Rangers have a flair for finding their franchise goaltender. From Mike Richter in the 90s, to Henrik Lundqvist in the 2010s, to Shesty in the 2020s…

The Rangers’ masked man may not have a Stanley Cup to his name (like Price and Lundqvist, for that matter), but he did win a Vézina Trophy in 2022, and in the playoffs, let’s just say he’s not one to crumble under pressure.

Is it too early to compare him to a great like Martin Brodeur, though? We’ll have a better idea in a few years.

Overtime

– Coming soon.

– Ah well.

– A rising star.

– They did it right.