New York Rangers

Igor Shesterkin Out for the Season, Leaves Rangers in a Goaltending Bind

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is done for the season, and that leaves the team in a real goaltending bind.

by
NHL Trade Talk
October 10, 2026

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin is done for the season. He left Friday’s game against Washington with a lower-body injury. Early speculation ranged from an ankle fracture to a ligament tear, and the exact diagnosis hasn’t been confirmed.

It is bad, and it leaves the New York Rangers in a real bind.

Really bad news: Igor Shesterkin is out for the year
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 10, 2026

The Rangers also announced that backup Joonas Korpisalo is out another four weeks and forward Joe Veleno is out three months. Dylan Garand, a late training camp cut, now becomes the starter for at least the next month.

The timing hurts. Shesterkin was 3-1-0 in five starts with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. He also scored his first NHL goal in a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 1. Defenceman Adam Fox called him the pillar of the team’s back end and said everyone is hoping for the best for him.

Can the Rangers Pivot with Shesterkin Out?

The injury has a cap angle too. Under current rules, a team gets full cap relief only if a player is out for the entire season, playoffs included. If Shesterkin isn’t expected back for the postseason, the Rangers can use his $11.56 million cap hit elsewhere.

That fuels talk of a trade for Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck. New York may have the cap room, but it would need assets to send the Jets, plus Hellebuyck’s approval because of his no-trade clause. His $8.5 million cap hit runs through 2031, and paired with Shesterkin’s, the Rangers would have about $20 million tied up in goaltending.

GM Chris Drury could look at cheaper, short-term options instead, such as Montreal’s Sam Montembeault. Kevin Weekes floated several other names beyond Hellebuyck, including a possible Jonathan Quick comeback and veterans like Petr Mrazek and James Reimer.

Without a solution, the Rangers will struggle to contend for a playoff spot.

Next: Without Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers Face a Nearly Impossible Task