Discussion of the Day: 9/22/23

Training camp started on Wednesday, and since that point we’ve heard from Chris Drury, Peter Laviolette, and a handful of players who’ve spoken on topics like how last season went and what they are focused on accomplishing in 2023-24. One notable player to speak was Igor Shesterkin, and this quote leads to today’s prompt.

Do you think Igor Shesterkin was too hard on himself for last year’s performance?

Shesterkin is starting his 5th season with the Rangers, and it will be his 4th as the team’s starting goalie. Heading into last season, Shesterkin was in the position of having to follow up an amazing campaign that saw him capture a Vezina Trophy and a 3rd-place Hart Trophy finish. As amazing a goaltender Shesterkin has been since entering the league, replicating the his 2021-22 season in 2022-23 was a tall order, and from my perspective a 2.48 goals against average, a 19.1 GSAA, and a 27.84 GSAx while also being worth 32 GAR which was 7th best among all goalies is not a season to get down about.

But I guess it is this mindset which makes the elite athletes truly elite. They have such a desire to improve upon already exceptional performances, and it is that constant drive which allows them do what they do. New York sports fans need look no further than the career of Henrik Lundqvist, or if you are a baseball fan, Jacob deGrom.

That said, I think Shesterkin having that opinion on last year’s performance, and now looking at it with the goal of being more positive and being able to use it as a learning experience is a positive one that can pay dividends this season.

But that’s just my opinion, and I’m interested in what you all think. I hope you have a great weekend, and I will be back in this space on Monday following the Rangers’ preseason game on Sunday vs. the Boston Bruins.