Rangers Daily: Igor Shesterkin injury fallout; Ilya Sorokin back for rivals
Watching Igor Shesterkin writhe in pain and then be helped off the ice with a lower-body injury Monday at Madison Square Garden, it’s hard not to think the worst for the New York Rangers nor their star goalie.
Is this finally one injury too many for the depleted Rangers to overcome? Or is this simply the one player they least can afford to lose?
Unfortunately, each question elicits an affirmative answer. Yes and yes.
The caveat here, though, is that we don’t know the exact nature of Shesterkin’s injury nor how long he’ll be out. After the Rangers blew a third-period lead and lost to the Utah Mammoth 3-2 in overtime Monday, coach Mike Sullivan stuck to the usual vague script when it comes to injuries: Shesterkin was being evaluated and will undergo further tests.
That’s not a knock on the Rangers nor their coach. There’s no reason to overshare when you don’t have all the answers yet. It’s just an all-too-familiar scenario for Sullivan this season, though. Having to answer about another injured player — even if Shesterkin is not just “another” player on on the roster.
A pretty darn good argument can be made that Shesterkin is the single most important player on the Rangers roster. He’s their backbone in good times and bad, more often than not the one propping up a rather mediocre team this season.
Yes, he’s the one player the Rangers can least afford to lose if they wish to keep their playoff hopes alive in the ultra-tight Eastern Conference. The Rangers (20-18-6) are three points out of the second wild card, though have the worst points percentage in the East. And that’s with Shesterkin starting 34 of 44 games, most among all goalies.
But don’t overlook the cumulative effect of New York’s 104 man-games lost to injury and illness, either. The Rangers remained resilient, getting by without Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck, J.T. Miller, among others, for extended stretches. It says a lot about the coach and players that the Rangers keep themselves afloat, considering how little quality depth there is on the roster and throughout the organization.
It feels like a house of cards, though. Ready to topple at any moment. And, perhaps, it all crashes down if Shesterkin is out long term.
Maybe Jonathan Quick steps in and defies the aging process — he turns 40 later this month. And perhaps the historic NHL parity helps keep the Rangers in the playoff mix.
More likely, though, the Rangers can’t overcome a serious, long-term injury to their No. 1 goaltender.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Not a lot of good to be found in our key Rangers takeaways after they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Utah Mammoth.
Here’s our detailed story about Shesterkin and his injury, updated with postgame quotes from the Rangers.
This certainly remains, relevant, though — our pregame story on how the Rangers power play is on fire since Fox returned from a 14-game injury absence.
Before Shesterkin’s injury, we handed out Rangers midseason report cards for the goalies and defensemen.
Let the debate begin: ranking the most memorable outdoor games in Rangers history, following their 2026 Winter Classic victory in Miami.
NHL news and rumors
Hockey News: Speaking of injured Russian goalies who play in New York, Ilya Sorokin makes his first start since Dec. 19 for the Islanders, when they host the Devils on Tuesday.
New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols warns Devils fans to be careful what they wish for after Luke Hughes gets torn apart and scapegoated for his unsightly performance the other night.
TSN: Remember how the Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy? Well, the Winnipeg Jets are well on their way to repeating that dubious feat this season, and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has no idea how that’s even possible.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: That didn’t take long. The Penguins are terminating Egor Zamula’s contract less than a week after acquiring the defenseman in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, because he didn’t report to their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Sportsnet: The Carolina Hurricanes added depth to their depleted defense corps by acquiring Juuso Valimaki in a trade with the Utah Mammoth.
Daily Faceoff: The Los Angeles Kings lost two veteran forwards to injury in their 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. Captain Anze Kopitar exited with a lower-body injury, and Joel Armia sustained an upper-body injury.
Philly Hockey Now: William James has all the details about Christian Dvorak’s contract extension with the Flyers.
