Rangers Offseason Gameplaning: Goalies

The 2018-19 Rangers season went about as well as expected. Entering the first full year of the rebuild, the Rangers finished seventh in the Metropolitan division with 78 points, and will pick 2nd following the results of the draft lottery. As with any rebuilding team, critical decisions loom during the spring and summer, which will shape the future of the franchise for years to come. Making the correct decisions will allow the Rangers to quickly transition back to contender status, in the same way as Tampa Bay or Boston. Failing to do so could cause them to linger in misery, like Buffalo or Edmonton have.

In the first part of this offseason series, I will be examining the different position groups, evaluating the questions surrounding the Rangers roster this summer, offering different plans of attack, and making my suggestion for what I Rangers should do. The first position we examine will be one Rangers fans will not be used to having to worry about: Goaltending.

The Situation

Henrik Lundqvist has been the backbone of the Rangers organization since his debut on Broadway in 2005 and was at the forefront of the franchise’s resurrection from the Dark Ages of 1998-2004. But at 37, with a clear downward trend in his individual performance and numbers, it is time to have serious conversations on what the next step is once the King has retired. Fortunately, there are not one, but two potential successors within the organization: rising Bulgarian star Alexandar Georgiev, Russian phenom Igor Shestyorkin.

Georgiev impressed as Lundqvist’s backup in New York this season and seems the popular choice to return as the team’s number 2 goalie. He put in several top-shelf performances this season, headlined by his two dominating wins over Toronto. The buzz around Georgiev is real, and at this point, he appears have star potential in the NHL.

Shestyorkin was a KHL All-Star, and led SKA St. Petersburg back to the playoffs in Russia. His numbers in Russia are absolutely staggering; He boasts a 1.11 GAA and .953 SV% in 2018-19. Long since anointed ‘the Czar’ by Rangers fans, he can officially sign in New York starting on May 1. Shestyorkin has dismissed speculation about whether he would walk away from a more lucrative deal in his native Russia to work his way up the Rangers system. The CBA limits what entry level players are eligible to be paid. This issue can be partially alleviated through performance based escalators, and two-way percentage adjustments. Shestyorkin himself dismissed these rumors, and the Athletic reports that a deal is imminent, but until a contract is officially signed, nothing is assured.

The Conservative Option: A three way timeshare

The Rangers can realistically find time for all three goaltenders in the NHL. Georgiev is waivers exempt until he plays in 17 more NHL games, meaning that the Rangers can assign him to Hartford with no risk of losing him, allowing him to get work there and make room on the roster for Shestyorkin. Shestyorkin will not be eligible for waivers at any point during the season. He too, can be reassigned at will, and would receive NHL pay while in New York. The Rangers have used a similar strategy as recently as this season; in order to keep him fresh, Georgiev played 11 games with Hartford while Lundqvist started in New York. It makes sense for the Rangers to open up the competition as much as possible to not only give their legendary superstar goalie as much work as reasonable, but to get the best look at both Georgiev and Shestyorkin.

I could see a hypothetical week playing out like this:

With this configuration, both young players will each get 1 NHL start, another AHL start, and will backup Lundqvist once per week. Obviously, factors like travel, schedule specifics, health and performance will cause specifics to shift. But this pace would mean Georgiev’s waiver exemption would end around late January or early February. After the trade deadline, Shestyorkin could assume full-time AHL duties, while getting periodic work in New York once the 23-man roster limit expires after the trade deadline.

The Aggressive Option: Commit to the Team’s Favorite

As with Antti Raanta and Cam Talbot, we’ve seen the Rangers aggressively move goaltenders in trades to teams that envision a new franchise netminder. That is an option again. Georgiev is more likely to have a trade market, as he is more of a known commodity at the NHL level. Could his performances against Toronto cause a bidding war among Atlantic division teams in need of a goalie? The easiest one to leverage would be Ottawa, as owner Eugene Melnyk seems to care more about beating the Leafs than anything else. Buffalo and Florida will be in the market for a new starter as well. A comparable return could be the 2nd, 3rd, and 7th round picks the Rangers received when they shipped Talbot to Edmonton in 2015.

Trading Shestyorkin would be much tougher. His ceiling is higher, but he is a complete unknown in the NHL. NHL GMs are always hesitant to give up significant assets for goalie prospects. It will be hard to turn him into a return comparable to the one Georgiev could command. However, the one knock on Shestyorkin’s game is that he rarely faced the volume of shots in Russia that he would in the NHL. It is possible that such a workload could overwhelm him, and he never lives up to his potential. If New York feels this is the case, it could be better to move on while his stock is high.

The Nuclear Option: The End of an Era

After the letter was published in February 2018, the Rangers reportedly approached Lundqvist to see if he wanted to stay in New York. He declined to waive his no-trade protection then, and again in 2019. Publicly, he has stayed resolute that he only ever wanted to play in New York. However, he’s also not been shy about how losing is hard for him to handle. He’s an intense competitor, and perhaps the only missing piece of his resume, the Stanley Cup, haunts him more than he lets on. If he is ready to move on, the Rangers should explore a trade for arguably the best player in the history of the franchise.

I do not believe this is likely, however, Hank does hold all the cards here. The Rangers front office will do right by their franchise player, and if he requests a trade, they will certainly oblige. If he does so, the Rangers will either find a veteran backup to bring leadership to the goalie room, or just roll with both Shestyorkin and Georgiev. Either way, Lundqvist’s return to the Garden would be one of the most emotional days in franchise history.

So What Do We Do?

As stated, if Lundqvist requests a trade, then there really isn’t a decision has been made. However, this is the least likely and least desirable option for both parties. Given the choice, I would go with the conservative option. It gives the team the best chance to explore the potential in both young goalies, while giving Lundqvist the opportunity to ride out into the sunset where he belongs. Once the trade deadline rolls around, GM Jeff Gorton can explore whether a trade is appropriate, or to continue with the timeshare.