The New York Rangers will be without Igor Shesterkin for the rest of the 2026-27 season after the goaltender suffered a lower-body injury in Friday’s 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, the team announced Saturday.
Shesterkin, 30, left in the second period after what looked like an awkward jam of his right leg against the post. He had to be helped off the ice, and the Rangers were forced to turn to 24-year-old Dylan Garand.
The early-season numbers only sharpen the blow. The 2022 Vezina winner had opened the year 3-1 in five starts, carrying a .927 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average before the injury ended his season.
“It’s awful,” Rangers captain J.T. Miller told media after Friday’s loss.
“He’s a pillar of this team. It stinks. ...
We don’t even know what’s going on, but to see him leave the game is a shot to all of us, a shock to all of us.
“But at the same time, it means we got to step up to a man to try to get the job done, especially (Garand).”
The Rangers are also dealing with another absence in goal. Backup Joonas Korpisalo will be out for another four weeks because of his own lower-body injury.
This is not the first time Shesterkin has been sidelined by a lower-body issue. He missed a month of the 2025-26 season after sustaining one in January.
Shesterkin is in the second season of the eight-year, $92-million contract he signed in 2024. His $11.5-million average annual value is the highest in NHL history for a goalie.
Garand, a fourth-round pick in 2020, is in his second NHL season. He played three games as a rookie and posted a .948 save percentage.
Earlier this season, he made his first start and stopped all 22 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 2.
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