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On Friday, the Rangers signed goaltender Igor Shesterkin and wing Vitali Kravtsov to entry-level contracts. Both prospects will arrive in the NHL with considerable buzz attached to their names.
Shesterkin has long been considered the heir apparent to franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. At age 23, Shesterkin has already received six years of professional seasoning in the KHL. His track record suggests that he can establish himself as a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL.
Shesterkin appeared in 28 games for SKA St. Petersburg this past season, posting a 24-3-1 record with a 1.11 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage. He recorded 10 shutouts. Both his goals-against average and save percentage were second best in KHL single-season history.
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images Could the Rangers trade Georgiev to solve the logjam in net? Talks between general managers tend to heat up as the NHL draft nears. The Rangers previously traded backups Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta near or during the draft. Georgiev’s future will be a storyline to watch as the June 21-22 draft edges closer.
It feels like Georgiev is pretty close to the peak of his trade value as a Ranger. He’s not going to straight up supplant Lundqvist as the No. 1 netminder, and the arrival of Shesterkin means that his NHL minutes could be in jeopardy. The Rangers could opt to enter training camp with three goalies and send Georgiev to the AHL should he lose out in the backup competition, though it might be wise to cash in on his rising stock by recouping valuable picks when general manager Jeff Gorton’s cell is buzzing at draft weekend in Vancouver.
Let’s switch tracks and take a closer look at Kravtsov. The 19-year-old wing’s contract includes a European assignment clause, which essentially means that the Rangers could send him back to the KHL for seasoning should he not make the Rangers’ opening night lineup.
A repeated comparison that tends to get floated around is a similarity to former Rangers wing Rick Nash. If these comparisons are accurate, then the Blueshirts’ future at wing will be in good hands once Kravtsov teams with Pavel Buchnevich and company.
Garden-goers will remember Nash at his best being an absolute handful for opponents to defend, scoring goals in a variety of ways and making a tremendous impact even when he was mired in scoring droughts.
Kravtsov brings a combination of pure skill, power and explosive skating that is reminiscent of a young Nash. Remember how Nash would push defenders on their back heels? Kravtsov has that ability in his arsenal.
Though it’s difficult to predict how quickly Kravtsov and Shesterkin will adapt to the NHL, their eventual arrival has the Garden faithful energized and excited about what the future will bring.