Thirty-seven years old and with two years remaining on his contract, The King will need an heir to his throne sooner than later. It just so happens highly regarded Russian goaltending prospect Igor Shesterkin is finally here, ready to begin his career in America five years after he was drafted by the Rangers in the fourth round.
The timing would seem perfect. Shesterkin can learn under Henrik Lundqvist until he’s ready to take his turn on Broadway. Plus, he grew up looking up to Lundqvist, describing him as his “idol.”
“Right now I just want to prove how I play the game, that I could be [his replacement one day], but I have a long way to go to prove that,” he said through a translator on Monday following his first workout in the team’s development camp at Chelsea Piers in Stamford.