In the spring of 2019, Nick Bobrov sat down multiple times with Igor Shesterkin to gauge the emerging goaltender\u2019s desire and readiness to make the transition from the Kontinental Hockey League to North America.<\/p>\n
In the ensuing conversations, however, Bobrov \u2014 the Rangers\u2019 director of European scouting \u2014 felt more like he was staring into the bright lights than the one asking the questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was talking to him, he was still mulling whether to come to the NHL or to give it another year in the KHL or two, the Q-and-A sessions I had with him were almost like an interrogation on his part,\u201d Bobrov told The Post earlier this week. \u201cHe knew exactly what was happening with the organization. He knew all the goaltending tendencies. He knew every nuance, every right question to ask, that other players customarily don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the kind of kid who just studies every nuance and nook and cranny about everything going on in his life. I probably was less prepared for that sort of bombardment than I should have been. But that\u2019s just him. That\u2019s how he studies hockey, that\u2019s how he studies business, how he studies his future. He\u2019s very meticulous, and I think we\u2019re seeing that reflects in the way he plays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, like Daniel Jones wrested the starting quarterback position away from Eli Manning earlier during this local sports cycle with the Giants, Shesterkin officially has usurped the crown and mask that have been donned between the Rangers\u2019 pipes since 2005 by team legend Henrik Lundqvist.<\/p>\n Blueshirts coach David Quinn publicly declared New York\u2019s latest high-profile changing of the guard Thursday, deservedly anointing the rising Russian rookie as the Rangers\u2019 No. 1 netminder for the first time since Shesterkin\u2019s stellar play forced a summoning from AHL Hartford in January to form a typically untenable three-headed goalie rotation at the Garden.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s 2014 fourth-round draft pick has won six of his first seven NHL starts, temporarily interrupted by missing the past two games with a minor ankle injury. Shesterkin earned that crack at the top designation with a cool demeanor, a steady crease presence and a continuation of the staggering penchant for winning games he showed throughout his six seasons with SKA St. Petersburg and a half-year in the AHL after finally signing with the Rangers in May of last year.<\/p>\n Shesterkin, the first Russian-born goalie ever to play for the Blueshirts, posted a career record of 88-16-7 in the KHL, including the best goals-against average (1.68) of any goalie in league history with at least 50 appearances. His .935 save percentage ranks No. 2 all-time. Some critics have discounted those numbers as a byproduct of SKA being a deep-pocketed team in a top-heavy league, with high-profile teammates such as longtime NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk, but Bobrov disagrees.<\/p>\n \u201cThe stats were completely deserved and earned,\u201d Bobrov said of Shesterkin, whose father, Oleg, played soccer professionally in Russia. \u201cSKA was always a very loose team. They were sort of the equivalent of the Edmonton Oilers of the \u201980s, by KHL standards. They had a lot of good, skilled players, big-budget team, big names.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s not like you had the New Jersey Devils defense of the \u201990s in front of him like Marty [Brodeur] did. He had to come up with major saves all the time because the other guys were looking to pad their stats and score goals.\u201d<\/p>\n Bobrov, who credited Slovakia-based Rangers scout Jan Gajdosik with first uncovering Shesterkin as a targeted prospect, described the rookie\u2019s goaltending style to a hybrid of Brodeur\u2019s puck-handling ability and 2015 Hart Trophy winner Carey Price\u2019s propensity for smothering pucks and controlling rebounds.<\/p>\n \u201cThis kid is not a fluke,\u201d former Rangers goalie Mike Richter said on The Post\u2019s \u201cUp in the Blue Seats\u201d podcast. \u201cThey\u2019ve been saying it for some time, \u2018The best goalie coming out of Russia.\u2019 There\u2019s an adjustment coming to North America, so that was a question, but I think he\u2019s answered that with an exclamation point coming over and playing as well as he did in the AHL.<\/p>\n![\"Igor](\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/igor-shesterkin-4.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=300)