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Few fanbases in NHL history are more spoiled when it comes to goaltending than the New York Rangers, and that excellent level of play figures to continue with Igor Shesterkin during the 2024-25 season.
Just ask the last legend who was between the pipes for New York.
"He's been so steady ever since he entered the league," Henrik Lundqvist told Bleacher Report.
"His ability to read the plays and be very efficient in the way he plays goaltender and the way he moves upright in his stance allows him to move pretty quickly on his feet. I expect him to be one of the best goaltenders again. He's up there every year and challenging the top guys in the league with the way he plays and his ability to come up big when it matters."
Going from 15 years of an all-time great and Hall of Famer in Lundqvist to Shesterkin almost seems unfair for the rest of the league, and the 28-year-old is successfully following his predecessor's footsteps as a star in the Big Apple.
The two-time All-Star won the 2021-22 Vezina Award as league's top goalie when he led the NHL in save percentage (.935) and goals against average (2.07) and was impressive once again last season with a .912 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average.
Shesterkin almost delivered the Rangers their first Stanley Cup since 1994, but they lost in the Eastern Conference Final to the eventual-champion Florida Panthers. It was the second time in three years New York lost in the Eastern Conference Final, which is a similar issue that has plagued the team since reaching the sport's mountaintop 30 years ago.
Lundqvist led the Original Six club to the playoffs in 12 of his 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020, including when he reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Still, they were unable to lift the trophy, continuing quite the drought for one of the league's most iconic franchises.
But they might have the talent to finally get over the hump in 2024-25 with Artemi Panarin, Shesterkin and Co. leading the way.
"Anytime you're close, you know there's not a lot of changes that need to be made," Lundqvist said. "A lot of times, it's maybe just one role player away from taking that step. If you look at the Rangers, they have the big core with great defensem*n and forwards and obviously goaltending with Igor and [Jonathan] Quick as a backup. I think the important roles there are set.
"It comes down sometimes to that perfect role player on the third or fourth line who can be that extra spark in a long playoff run. Looking how close they came last year, it's more about continuing what they did and improving small things here or there. Their ability last year to come back in games is what impressed me the most, and that's a good sign of a resilient team and good leadership."
While Lundqvist will spend time this winter rooting for his former team, he took advantage of the offseason by partnering with the Swedish outdoor brand RevolutionRace.
He and his brother, Joel, became ambassadors for the brand to help them rediscover their roots and embrace their love of the outdoors and activities such as hiking, skiing and mountain biking:
"It's been great," Lundqvist said of the partnership. "I grew up in a ski town, skied a lot and spent a lot of time outdoors. And then hockey took over for 20 years, five years in Sweden and 15 in New York. I didn't really have the opportunity to go skiing or spend time outside and in nature.
"As soon as I retired, the one thing I really wanted to pick up again was skiing. It's been awesome. I really enjoy being in the mountains. I love that contrast in life, living in New York City with the energy that's here and then the flip side to go somewhere totally quiet up in the mountains. ... It felt like a great fit where I'm at in life right now, and it was an opportunity to do something with my brother, Joel."
It is one of the opportunities that comes with being a hockey icon, which Lundqvist was throughout his career.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class with a resume that includes the 2011-12 NHL Vezina Trophy winner as league's top goalie and five All-Star selections. He never finished a season with a save percentage below .905 and ended his career with a total save percentage of .918 and a goals against average of 2.43.
Lundqvist is better positioned than almost anyone in history when it comes to evaluating the goaltender position, and he will have his eye on Shesterkin and Quick with the Rangers, as well as Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, during the upcoming season.
"I love watching Vasilevskiy," he said. "He's really good, and he's powerful on his feet. With Igor, it's a different style but I just love how effortless he makes it look sometimes. And I have to say, not because Quick is a Ranger now, but I've always loved watching Jonathan and playing against him. He's very acrobatic out there and creative with how he's making saves. And I love that there's different ways to come up with saves, and he's really good at that."
It is a testament to New York's history of goaltending that it has an all-time great in Quick as its No. 2 option. Quick is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner for the fewest goals scored against and will look to add to his resume when filling in for Shesterkin.
New York may have to go through the Lightning in the Eastern Conference, though, which is easier said than done with Vasilevskiy spearheading the efforts.
Like Lundqvist with the Rangers, Vasilevskiy has become a legend with one team in Tampa Bay since debuting during the 2014-15 season and is a two-time Stanley Cup winner, five-time All-Star and the owner of the 2018-19 Vezina Trophy.
Lundqvist will be following Vasilevskiy, the Rangers and the other goalies this season as a media member after he was part of NHL on TNT's coverage of last season's playoffs.
One non-goalie storyline that stands out to him is the Edmonton Oilers' quest to bounce back from their difficult loss to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 but proceeded to lose the first three games before it came storming back with three consecutive wins to force a Game 7.
It seemed like that final contest would be a defining and crowning moment for Connor McDavid's career, but Florida won 2-1.
The Oilers responded this offseason by making Leon Draisaitl the league's highest-paid player with an eight-year contract that pays him an average annual value of $14 million. Now they turn their attention to trying to do exactly what the Panthers just did after Florida lost the 2023 Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights and then came back to win it all.
"It will be interesting to see how the Oilers respond after that tough Game 7," Lundqvist said. "They just locked up Draisaitl, that's a huge piece. I think they will be dangerous again. You saw what Florida did losing the one year and coming back the next year with that experience and so much motivation to make it happen. I could see the Oilers having a similar feeling going into this year."
Perhaps Lundqvist's Rangers will be waiting for them in the Stanley Cup Final this time.
