Jesper Fast – The Rangers opened the scoring with Jesper Fast finishing off a beautiful play from linemate Artemiy Panarin. Panarin got the cross-ice pass from Ryan Strome, out-waited goaltender Aaron Dell, and found Fast at the front of the net for the 1-0 lead.

Fast wasn’t done, though, as the rugged winger would pot the game-winner as well. After San Jose was called for icing, the Rangers won the ensuing face-off back to Jacob Trouba, who had his shot stopped. Fast, much like his play away from the puck, was relentless and eventually knocked the rebound over the sprawling Dell to give the Rangers the lead.

Fast’s two goals were his 10th and 11th tallies of the year, as the pending UFA continues to play his game amid the trade deadline craziness.

Mika Zibanejad – The suave Swede tied the game for the Blueshirts in the second period, once again thanks to the BreadMan. With Evander Kane skating below the goal line, Panarin swiped the puck off the stick of the Sharks forward and right to the waiting Zibanejad, who scored his 28th of the season.

Zibanejad has now scored a goal in five of his last six games, and 9 in his previous 12 contests. You’d have to think had he not missed a couple of weeks at the beginning of the season with an injury, Zibanejad could be amongst the league leaders in goals.

Igor Shesterkin – Simply put, the 24-year-old Russian stole this one. Shesterkin made 44 saves, including 21 in the first period, to earn his ninth NHL victory in his first ten starts. The Moscow native made a few dazzling stops, including this doozy on Evander Kane in the first period.

What the Rangers will do leading up to Monday’s trade deadline remains unclear. But one thing is for sure; Igor Shesterkin is the organization’s number one goalie of the future.

Next Game: The Rangers head to Barclays Center for a matchup with the Islanders. Puck drops at 7!

Postgame Notes

• The Rangers have won nine of their last 14 home games, dating back to Dec. 22 (9-5-0 record), and have outscored their opponents, 52-37, in the 14 contests. The Blueshirts have also earned at least one point in 15 of their last 24 home games (14-9-1 record).
• Shesterkin is the first goaltender in Rangers history who has earned a win in nine of his first 10 career NHL appearances, and according to NHL Stats and Information, he is the first goaltender who has earned a win in nine of his first 10 appearances as a member of the Rangers in franchise history. He is the fourth goaltender in NHL history who has earned nine wins in his first ten career NHL appearances.
• The Rangers extended their winning streak to three games and have won seven of the last eight games (7-1-0 record), eight of the last 10 games (8-2-0 record), and 10 of the last 13 games (10-3-0 record). The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 26 of the last 41 games, dating back to Nov. 23 at Montreal (24-15-2 record over the span). The Rangers have earned 29 of their 33 wins this season in regulation and 32 of their 33 wins in either regulation or the five-minute overtime period (the Blueshirts earned 26 regulation/OT wins in 2018-19). As of the conclusion of tonight’s contest, the Rangers’ 29 regulation wins this season are the fourth-most in the NHL and are the most in the Metropolitan Division.

Notes provided by the Rangers

LETS GO RANGERS!!

With the NHL Draft coming to a close yesterday, the focus shifts to developing the organization’s crop of youngsters at the team’s Player Development Camp this week. And moments ago, the Rangers announced which of their neophytes will be participating in the summer training session.

Included in the roster are all eight 2019 draft choices, as well as the recently signed prospects to their respective ELCs (Kravtsov, Shesterkin, etc). Kravtsov’s fellow 2018 first-round picks, defensemen K’Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist will also be in attendance.

The 21-year-old prospect completed his junior year with the UConn Huskies in the 2018-19 campaign. Adam Huska was eligible to join the Rangers organization at the conclusion of his third year in Hockey East. Fast forward to the upcoming season, the Slovakian goalie is on an entry-level contract with New York to begin his professional career. The young goalie will be competing for a spot in Hartford. After examining the goaltender situation in the organization, there are many prospects fighting for multiple spots throughout the organization. This is a great problem to have because each goalie will bring their best game to earn and maintain a spot wherever they land.

Adam Huska joins Alexandar Georgiev, Igor Shestyorkin, and potential goaltender signings by New York for Hartford in free agency, presumably a veteran. One prospect will land as the backup of Henrik Lundqvist while the other two will be fighting for the top spot in Hartford. I do not see two prospects in the crease for next season as the Rangers organization is required to send a goalie to Maine in the ECHL. There is no clear path for goalies in the organization which makes for an exciting time and plenty of “what ifs”.

Zooming in on Adam Huska, the prospect is still in the early stages of his development. The prospect has plenty of learning to do to carry him mentally and physically. The road ahead will be tough, but I can see him becoming a solid addition if he is progressing well with the help of the organization.

Personally, I have seen Adam Huska from the early stages of development when he joined the University of Connecticut’s hockey team in the 2016-17 season as a freshman. He was impressive early on, making impressive and stellar saves to keep the Huskies in games against tough Hockey East competition such as UMass-Lowell and Boston College. The Huskies were still the new kids in the block as they joined Hockey East in the 2014-15 campaign. The group struggled and had to rely on their goalies constantly. In his first season, Huska was the backup goalie and posted a 7-9-4 record with 2.87 GAA and a .916 SV%.

In his sophomore year, the prospect became the primary goalie for the Huskies. The prospect was playing well, then had a lengthy injury middle of the season and did not return until the playoffs where he was rusty. UConn was an improved team and Huska in the early stages attempted to help fight the slow start of the season for the group, which did not begin to win consistently until the second portion of the home slate. In 27 games played, the Rangers prospect posted an 8-16-2 record with 2.59 GAA and a .912 SV%. The stats are misleading because a majority of the Huskies losses were in the first half of the season where the talent was there, but the group did not spark until the middle of the season when Huska was injured.

Then we look at last season, his junior year. Huska was back from injury and this was a down year for UConn as many prospects left for their NHL clubs and a good number of seniors left the group. The record of 5-13-2 with 3.34 GAA and .896 SV% is misleading. Yes, he struggled, but it was not all his fault. The Huskies were extremely young with talent. The group was unable to click throughout the season and was continuously on the losing end of the stick. Huska was not performing prior to his injury, but had adjusted his game to become a better goalie for his club. An interesting moment was when UConn’s head coach Mike Cavanaugh decided to take away Huska’s starting job in the middle of the season and became the backup. As a result, he played in fewer games, especially in the second half of the campaign. I am curious to see if that decision raised eyebrows for the Rangers management. Immediately after the Hockey East season ended, Huska joined Hartford through an ATO and signed an entry-level deal effective the following season. In my opinion, I would have let the Rangers keep Huska in Hockey East for another season so he can progress. The Rangers have elected to do that with their other goalie in Hockey East, Tyler Wall with UMass-Lowell. He will play his senior season with the River Hawks.

Throwing in a young prospect into the fire was not the best idea. Adam Huska struggled in the AHL, but gradually felt confident in the crease for the dismal Wolf Pack club. In nine games, Huska had a record of 1-7-1 with a 3.45 GAA and a .889 SV%. Again, this record indicates not his performance, but dealing with a team that was struggling. As we look at next season, there is a lot in the air regarding goaltending situation with the organization.

From Hartford’s standpoint, they must sign a veteran goaltender to help produce a winning team in addition to mentoring a Rangers prospect. The organization cannot go with two young goalies in the AHL, as in the past, has not worked out. Addressing this area of concern must be a priority for Chris Drury. If so, the backup spot would be between the two of the three Rangers talented prospects. Whoever is not performing well enough would report to Maine of the ECHL, which would satisfy the requirements with the affiliation with the Maine Mariners. Of course, these placements are never permanent.

Looking at it from Huska’s standpoint, he faces a tough challenge competing for a spot in Hartford. He is young and needs seasoning at the professional levels. If he starts with Maine, then that is okay because goalies have to start somewhere. Instead of looking at the ECHL as a disappointing assignment, he could look at it as a league where he can enhance his game professionally. If he does well, he can earn himself a call up with Hartford. The situation with goalies could be avoided if the Rangers had Huska stay with UConn for another season. The question is if they wanted eyes on him within the organization. I personally would have him play another season at UConn to continue his development, then takeover after the upcoming season. Igor Shestyorkin and Alexandar Georgiev are dominant goalies. Having Huska compete against them for spots is possibly a losing battle for the young goalie from UConn.

The goalies that Hartford had last season of Chris Nell, Brandon Halverson, and Dustin Tokarski are most likely all gone. The goaltender situation is extremely competitive and there are no needs for these players to return. In Tokarski’s case, the Wolf Pack would look at other veterans as the organization may have rubbed the veteran the wrong way by trading him. However, if he wants to return, that is one less headache to deal with.

Moments ago, the Rangers announced that they have signed the organization’s top Russian prospects to respective entry-level contracts.

Kravtsov led his team in points when he left for the World Juniors in December. He was his team’s most dangerous forward in every game. Over the course of the season, he was involved in 26.58% of his team’s goals when playing, which is more than Evgeni Kuznetsov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Artemi Panarin and others (See below). He registered 11 points in the 2018 Gagarin Cup playoffs which is the third most by a teenager in the history of Russian hockey, dating back to the inaugural season of the RSL (Russian Super League). Only Maxim Afinogenov (16) and Evgeni Malkin (15) had more. Vitali Kravtsov’s KHL rights are retained by his club Traktor Chelyabinsk which means he can go back if there is an NHL lockout in the future.

Igor Shesterkin comes over from SKA, the team from St. Petersburg where he has played for the last 5 seasons in the KHL. Shesterkin is eighth all-time in the KHL in shutouts with 27, in just 117 games. His shutout/GP ratio is the highest in KHL history among goalies who played at least 100 games. The Russian goalie was selected in the fourth round in 2014 and just like Henrik Lundqvist, he signs his entry-level contract five years after being drafted. With the arrival of Shestyorkin, the Rangers now have two young Russian goalies to fight for the spot between the pipes in the future with Georgiev being the other.

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Пять лет, которые я провел в Петербурге – серьезный срок. Я перешел в СКА совсем молодым игроком и пережил здесь самые счастливые моменты в карьере. Два Кубка Гагарина, российское чемпионство, невероятные апрельские вечера в Казани и Магнитогорске, встречи в аэропорту, парады на Невском – все это навсегда останется в памяти. Особняком стоит поездка на Олимпиаду, откуда наша сборная привезла золотые медали ? Хочу поблагодарить руководство клуба за то, какие условия сейчас созданы в Петербурге для игр и тренировок, в СКА отлично выстроена работа с вратарями, молодые вратари прогрессируют в системе клуба. Спасибо всем тренерам, с которыми мы работали на протяжении этих пяти лет! Спасибо ребятам, без которых не было бы всех этих побед и достижений. И, конечно, спасибо болельщикам, Ледовому дворцу – атмосфера на наших домашних матчах была незабываемой как на обычных матчах регулярки, так и на суперважных встречах плей-офф. Мы вас любим! Желаю удачи СКА, пусть впереди будет еще больше радостных моментов и огромное число новых побед! ?

A post shared by @ shesterkinigor on May 3, 2019 at 7:07am PDT

Translation: “The five years I spent in Petersburg are a serious time. I switched to SKA as a very young player and experienced the happiest moments in my career here. Two Gagarin Cups, the Russian championship, incredible April evenings in Kazan and Magnitogorsk, meetings at the airport, parades on Nevsky – all this will forever be remembered. The trip to the Olympics, from where our team brought gold medals, stands apart.
I want to thank the club management for what conditions are now created in St. Petersburg for games and training, work with goalkeepers in SKA is excellent, young goalkeepers are progressing in the club system. Thanks to all the coaches with whom we worked during these five years! Thank you guys, without whom there would not be all these victories and achievements.
And, of course, thanks to the fans, the Ice Palace – the atmosphere at our home games was unforgettable both at regular season games and at super-important playoff meetings. We love you!
I wish good luck to SKA, may there be more joyful moments ahead and a huge number of new victories! ?”

Kravtsov’s signed a three-year ELC which expires in 2022, while Shestyorkin signed a two-year ELC due to his age. According to the CBA, players that are 22 or 23 years of age are only eligible for a two-year contract. Both Kravtsov and Shestyorkin will be exempt from the 2021 expansion draft, which gives the Rangers more flexibility in the next two seasons.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jeff Gorton has done it again. On Tuesday, Gorton struck a deal that we all expected to happen when he acquired Adam Fox.

For those of you unfamiliar with Fox, he is a right shot defenseman, unicorns as I call them, who just finished up his junior year at Harvard. He had a marvelous season, compiling 48 points in 33 games, and was a Hobey Baker award finalist losing to Cale Makar – no arguing there. Many experts consider Fox to be the third best defensive prospect in all of hockey behind only Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes; all three guys that played in the NCAA.

Many feel that Jeff Gorton gave up too much for a guy who most likely would have come to Broadway next summer when his rights expired. Gorton gave up pick number 37 in the 2019 draft, and a conditional third round pick that turns into a second round pick if Fox plays 30 games in 2019, which he likely will. So, in my eyes, Gorton gave up two second round picks for the third best defensive prospect in hockey – yeah, I am just fine with it. Not to mention, his ELC will be a three-year deal, as opposed to a two-year deal he would have gotten if he came over next summer as a free-agent. It’s also possible Fox has a change of heart between now and then, so I give Gorton an “A” for yet another great move securing something sooner rather than later.

So what does the 21-year-old Long Island native do for the Rangers prospect pool both defensively and overall? Fox instantly becomes the Rangers’ top defensive prospect hopping two very good ones in K’Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist. Fox, as mentioned before and unlike Miller and Lundkvist, will be on the opening night roster and play in well over 30 games for the Blueshirts, but for now he is still a prospect. As per The Athletic, heading into the 2018-2019 season, the Rangers had the 11th ranked prospect pool in all of hockey, jumping from nearly dead last a couple of seasons prior. The prospect pool graduated two top prospects in Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson last year, but it is a pool still headlined by Vitali Kravtov, Igor Shestyorkin, K’Andre Miller, Nils Lundkvist, and Yegor Rykov. The Rangers have now added the third best defensive prospect in hockey, will add one of the two in Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko (most likely Kakko), another very good prospect with the Winnipeg’s first round pick, another possible first round pick from Dallas, and a plethora of other picks as well.

With the additions of those prospects to an already top-12 pool, I see the Rangers having an undoubted top-five stable of prospects in all of hockey heading into the 2019-2020 season. When Gorton began this rebuild, he constantly reiterated the ideas of “compiling assets” and “being flexible”. This trade is a combination of both, as was the move up for Miller at the 2018 draft. Gorton moved pieces around compiling picks and prospects, and started making packages of them to move up in drafts, and like he did on Tuesday, move them for a top-notch prospect – who just so happens to be a right handed defenseman. Jeff Gorton and Rangers brass have done a fantastic job in turning this team around in such a short period by restocking the shelves with some very good prospects.

April 30th is an important date for Ranger fans this season. The KHL season officially ends and that means Vitali Kravtsov, Igor Shestyorkin, and Yegor Rykov are all free agents at the end of the day.

Vitali Kravtsov posted an emotional goodbye on Instagram, thanking the Traktor Chelyabinsk organization for the wonderful years he has had in the city he has called his home for the last 10 years.

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Челяба !! Хотелось бы сказать огромное спасибо всем тем кто поддерживал меня в этом не легком пути , спасибо всем болельщикам , всем партнерам с кем я играл в одной команде , всем тем кто меня учил подсказывал и ругал , я именно в этом городе вырос в того кем я являюсь в данный момент , я буду помнить все победы и поражения , сумасшедшую поддержку на трибунах , я познакомился со многими людьми в этом городе благодаря хоккею , спасибо всем это было незабываемо !! Спасибо @hc_traktor ЧЕРНОБЕЛЫЙ ТАНКОГРАД !???

A post shared by Виталий (@kravtsov93) on Apr 29, 2019 at 10:07am PDT

I would like to say “thank you” to all who have supported me through the rough times, to all the fans and team mates. To all who have taught me what I know. I grew up in this city and I will remember the wins and losses, the dedicated support in the stands. I have met many great people in this city thanks to hockey. Thank you everyone, it was unforgettable.

Kravtsov moved to Chelyabinsk when he was just a kid while his dad stayed in Vladivostok, to chase his dream of playing hockey. Kravtsov and his mother moved in with his grandmother who lived in Chelyabinsk and Kravtsov has not looked back since. Adopting Chelyabinsk as his home, even on the ice wearing number 74 which is the regional code for the Chelyabinsk Oblast. With Kravtsov now saying goodbye, it seems certain he’s moving to North America.

What’s next for the two other Russian prospects?

Igor Shestyorkin’s season ended when his team, SKA St Petersburg, lost to eventual Gagarin Cup winners CSKA Moscow. He did not receive an invitation to the national team and will be free to move this week. Last year, Shestyorkin represented the Russian national team after the KHL season ended.

There have been reports about Kravtsov and Shestyorkin agreeing to contracts with the Rangers, but nothing is official yet with both players still under contract in the KHL. We expect an official announcement tomorrow for both the 19-year old winger and the 23-year old goalie. Yegor Rykov, who played for HC Sochi this season, has represented the Russia Olympic team (Russia B) after his team was eliminated from the Gagarin Cup playoffs and his final game with the national team was on Sunday. The defenseman has been linked with a move to North America but there have been no reports yet on him negotiating with the Rangers. With his contract expiring today, that could change.

Henrik Lundqvist started 52 games for the Rangers last year, and that number might have to be even less next season. It wasn’t a secret that the Rangers struggled as a whole last season, which may be one of the reasons Lundqvist posted his worst goals against average (3.07) of his 14-year career.

However that isn’t the reason his playing time might decrease next season. The finger to point at would be the young goalie prospects that the Rangers have high hopes about – Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin.

Young and Rising

We saw a nice dose of Georgiev last year for the Rangers, as he served as the back-up for the entire season, posting 33 starts with a goals against average of 2.91. Since his success last year with the club, there has been plenty of talk what the next move might be with Georgiev heading into the 2019-2020 season.

Of course the arrival of the highly-touted Igor Shesterkin might force the hand of the Rangers, but I don’t think getting rid of Georgiev is what the organization will do. Since he is just 23 years old and showed lots of promise last year, Georgiev will get a number of starts next season, similar to this year, but keeping him in the mix will decrease Lundqvists’ numbers, especially is Shesterkin lives up to the hype.

Igor Shesterkin posted absolutely ridiculous numbers last year in the KHL, with a GAA of 1.11, a save percentage of .953 in 28 starts. He also carried the same type of play into the playoffs for St. Peterburg, posting a 1.95 GAA and .904 save percentage in ten games. Shesterkin has been the prospect that Rangers fans hoped to be Henrik Lundqvist’s replacement, but is he coming to kick Hank right out the door? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Shesterkin is set to come over this summer and participate in the Rangers prospect camp. That will be the first indication whether or not the Rangers might have to mix in a three-goalie set for next season. To assume that Shesterkin is going to make the direct jump from the KHL to the NHL might be a little premature, but with the consistent numbers he posted, that certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

Cutting Hanks Playing Time

The main reason Hank’s starts might be on the decrease even more is if Georgiev and Shesterkin impress on a consistent basis, whether that be in New York or Hartford, and if the Rangers continue to struggle as a whole. Towards the end of last season, David Quinn decided to ride with Georgiev to give him consecutive starts against high-tier NHL clubs, and I don’t see why that situation might not happen again, but this time with both Georgiev and Shesterkin.

The main point is that the Rangers didn’t hesitate when it came to giving Georgiev starts over Lundqvist last season, and they can’t hesitate now since there’s a third potential NHL netminder on the way. The more goalie prospects the better, and the Rangers might have to come up with a cycle that can feed all of the goalies, even if that takes away from the King’s plate.

There have been reports, including from Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic, that New York Rangers goaltending prospect Igor Shestyorkin has agreed to his entry-level contract. The excitement that the fanbase is experiencing in a non-playoff spring is uncanny. The only issue is that as the future holds promise, it also brings heavy questions.

Speculation is a fun game in which every fan plays. To be blunt, I do not believe anything happens without Henrik’s say. While he has been open about the struggles he’s had losing; he also speaks highly about his desire to spend the entirety of his career in New York.

Regardless, the debate with Henrik Lundqvist is not about whether or not he will or should be moved. It is, however, whether or not they wasted his best years.

A King’s Ransom

Henrik Lundqvist played his first NHL game out of playoff contention in the 2017-18 season. This is a stat that is so crazy it hurts my brain, granted, that is hardly a feat, but the point remains. Lundqvist has been an unforeseen success with the team. Hank has given the franchise the best opportunity to be competitive since he entered the league.

Many will say that the franchise let his prime years go with nothing to show for it. Five out of the 14 years that Lundqvist has been in the league, the franchise DID NOT have first or second round picks. Why is that? Because they mortgaged picks via trades. By doing so, the team saw a run of missing the post season in only three seasons since 2005-06. While Henrik played the most important part in the overall success, it is obvious that management was trying their hardest to build around number 30.

The Missing Piece

The Rangers were always missing a key piece in their playoff runs; whether it was a true number one center in 2012, or an elite goal scorer in 2014 and 2015. The front office made every move possible in order to find that piece, even if it was the wrong move – looking at you Dan Boyle.

With this comes the hard truth about this debate. Did the New York Rangers waste away Lundqvist’s prime? No. The franchise did everything in their power to achieve the ultimate goal. Sometimes making countless moves doesn’t mean winning the last game of the season. The passion the fanbase has for the absolutely gorgeous man that is Henrik Lundqvist, leads to slander about the franchise wasting him away.

Ultimately, because of the moves the franchise made to try and bring a championship to Broadway is why the rebuild has happened. It is because of making moves for the present and taking advantage of Hank’s prime that led to a letter, it led to the sell offs and it led to a misty-eyed Swedish beauty not being able to say goodbye to his friend in a post game interview.

It’s so difficult to win the NHL’s “second season;” countless teams have gotten close but fallen short (San Jose, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Anaheim, and more). It’s 31 teams in October, then 16 in April trying to win one trophy. The Rangers did not waste Lundqvist’s prime. Rather they found a way to salvage their future in order to make the most of what’s to come.

Russian prospects Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shestyorkin have agreed to terms on an entry level contract with the New York Rangers.

The New York Rangers have been given permission by SKA and Traktor Chelyabinsk to discuss the details of the entry level contract for both Russian prospects. However, the contracts cannot be signed until May 1st when their KHL contracts expire. By not releasing them, the teams retain their KHL rights which are valuable with a potential NHL lock out in 2022.

Vitali Kravtsov will sign a 3-year deal while Shestyorkin’s contract will be 2 years due to his age. According to CBA article 9.1(b), players aged 22 or 23 are only eligible to sign a 2-year ELC.

Larry Brooks reported the goalie also negotiated to have a European Assignment Clause included in the contract. With this clause, the player can opt to move back to Europe to finish the season without the contract being terminated. Last season Winnipeg Jets prospect Kristian Vesalainen used this clause to play for Jokerit after being sent down to the AHL.

Shestyorkin has stated in an interview with Russian media outlet Sport Express that he has no problem playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL this season. The Rangers go into the season with 3 goalies capable to play in the NHL with Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev already on the team.

The most interesting question, for me at least, is how his name will be spelled when he makes his debut. The most likely spelling we will see is “Shesterkin”, while playing with the spelling “Shestyorkin” in Russia which I prefer. It includes the word YORK after all.

Editor’s Note: I reached out to the NYR about his last name and got this response – Anthony

Latest news surrounding the Rangers.

Igor Shestyorkin and Vitali Kravtsov agree to deals

The Rangers prized goalie prospect and heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist is on the way. As is their top pick from last year’s draft.

The Rangers will have both Shestyorkin and Kravtsov in camp and battling for rosters spots next September.

Vigneault in Philly