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Alexandar Georgiev isn’t going anywhere 30 ñåíòÿáðÿ 2020 ãîäà. https://bluelinestation.com. by Steve Paulus Modern NHL teams need two top goalies and that’s what the New York Rangers have The days of the iron man NHL goaltender are over. We are never going to see a New York Rangers goalie play 73 games in a season like Henrik Lundqvist did just ten years ago. This season Alexandar Georgiev led the team with 32 starts compared to 26 for Lundqvist and 12 for rookie Igor Shesterkin. In this shortened NHL season, Carey Price and Connor Hellebuyck were tied for most starts, with 58 out of 71 games. Five other goalies starter more than 50 games. Look at how the number of goalies who started 55 games or more has dropped over the last four seasons: 2019-20 : 2 2018-19: 12 2017-18: 16 2016-17: 17 While it’s reasonable to assume that there will be goalies who will start 80% of their team’s games like Price and Hellebuyck, that would be in normal seasons. The 2020-21 season promises to be anything other than normal. The new season is already going to miss its target start date of December 1 and smart money has the season beginning in mid to late January. The league is determined to play a full 82 games season and that means it will be an incredibly condensed season with more back to back games and fewer days off. Most NHL teams are already moving to a tandem of two quality goaltenders, but with a compact schedule, all NHL teams will need two solid goalies. There is also the unknowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus along with injuries will continue to hang over the NHL until there is a vaccine. Look at this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dallas rode their backup Anton Khudobin to the Finals after losing Ben Bishop to injury. Jacob Markstrom was lost to the Vancouver Canucks and Thatcher Demko stepped right in. The same thing happened to the Penguins when they won the Cup in 2017 when Matt Murray replaced Marc-Andre Fleury. Fortunately, the New York Rangers are set with Shesterkin and Georgiev. Of course, that assumes that the Rangers will buy out Henrik Lundqvist sometime in the next two weeks, strictly for salary cap purposes. Why Georgiev stays The primary reason the Rangers will hold on to Georgiev is that they will need two goalies for the reasons explained above. It would be reasonable to assume a primary goalie starting about 50 games and that means the second goalie would get 30 starts. That’s almost 40% of the schedule. In looking at Shesterkin’s career, over the last five seasons he has not played more than 48 games in one campaign, including playoffs. If the Rangers make the playoffs next season he could end up playing 60 games or more, a workload he has never had to deal with. To keep him fresh for the postseason, they need a solid second option. While Igor Shesterkin’s 12 game debut was simply spectacular, it was still only 12 games. Georgiev has played in 77 NHL games and he is an established NHL goaltender. His sample size over three years is enough to assume that he can handle backup duties and be available to step in when needed. Stepping in when needed could be important, considering Shesterkin’s ability to stay healthy. In his brief stint on Broadway he has missed games due to a car accident, an ankle injury, and a groin injury that forced him to miss the first two games of the Carolina series. While he didn’t have an issue with injuries while in the KHL, it’s a situation worth monitoring. Another reason Georgiev isn’t going anywhere is that Jeff Gorton won’t give him away in a trade. it appears that rival general managers are not as enamored with Georgiev as the Rangers and when the team shopped him around at the trade deadline this year, the return didn’t justify a trade. Despite their issues with the three headed goalie monster, the Rangers are not deep when it comes to experienced netminders. Without Lundqvist, Georgiev leads the way with 77 games. Shesterkin has played 13 NHL games and after that there is no NHL experience in the organization. Jeff Gorton will need to pick up a veteran goalkeeper to expose in the draft next summer so there will be added depth, but Adam Huska and newly signed Tyler Wall are the next best options for the Rangers next season if either Shesterkin or Georgiev go down with an injury. Intangibles There’s a lot that may happen over the next two weeks. Lundqvist may not be bought out. Jeff Gorton may be overwhelmed by a trade offer for Georgiev. While possible, both of those options are unlikely. Even with the trade of Marc Staal, the Rangers need the cap space that a Lundqvist buyout will get them and everyone in the hockey world believes a buyout is in the works. While Gorton will entertain offers, there is a robust field of free agent goalies this off-season, negating the need for a team to trade for a goalie. Still available as UFA’s are Robin Lehner, Anton Khudobin, Jacob Markstrom, Braden Holtby, Corey Crawford, Craig Anderson, Jimmy Howard, Thomas Greiss, Cam Talbot, Mike Condon, Mike Smith and Brian Elliott. RFA goalie Matt Murray is being shopped. Marc-Andre Fleury will find a new home. That’s a lot of quality goaltending, including over a half dozen number one netminders. All signs point to a Shesterkin-Georgiev goaltending tandem in 2020-21. There are a number of teams in the NHL who would love that duo and that should be very encouraging to Blueshirts fans. |
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