Rumor mill picking up steam on Rangers Georgiev

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Everyone in the league is very aware that at some point Alexander Georgiev will be available. Henrik Lundqvist still has another year on his contract with a full no move clause and a desire to finish his career as a Blueshirt. And the heir apparent, Igor Shesterkin has proven all he needs to in the AHL and is ready to start his Rangers career. That means the 23 year old netminder and RFA to be will be on the move.

Leafs looking

The Maple Leafs are looking for a goalie to backup Frederik Andersen and a source in Toronto says they definitely have interest and may have already kicked the tires. However, the Rangers certainly aren’t going to give him away but they need to make a decision soon.

Waiver Worries

Alex Georgiev has played 56 games in the NHL and once he hits 60, he will no longer be waiver exempt. That means Shesterkin will have to wait for a trade to get a shot on Broadway. It also means he may decide to use his European out clause to head back to the KHL. So what will the Rangers do?

The sense I get is that Igor Shesterkin is whom the Rangers want to see, but giving Alex away for the sake of making that happen now isn’t good asset management. Sure, they could send Alex down before game 60 and call up Igor (and they might), but that’s not going to help trade Georgiev.

Regardless of Lundqvist being under the weather, it may also explain why Georgiev played back to back and 3 of the last 4. Seems like a showcase to me.

Temper expectations

Georgiev is 7-5-1 with a rock solid .919 save percentage and a 2.90 GAA. Just remember he is an undrafted free agent, who came out of nowhere and has Benoit Allaire as a coach. So thinking he’s going to garner you a 1st rounder as Hank’s backup isn’t going to happen. Cam Talbot anyone?

Right now Jeff Gorton simply has to do his due diligence and see if there are other teams that are looking for goaltending help. Toronto is interesting because they have cap issues, so who knows if Georgiev isn’t part of package that brings in a lot more than expected. Should be an interesting couple of weeks.

By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

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