Rangers' Igor Shesterkin named a Hart Trophy finalist
Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers looks on during the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game 5 of the first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Everyone expected Igor Shesterkin to be named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy earlier this week, and he was – and likely will win it.
But that is an honor for goaltenders. On Thursday, Shesterkin got a bigger, rarer acknowledgement when he was named one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy, given to the NHL’s most valuable player.
“It’s obviously very, very well deserved,” Chris Kreider said. “He's been our best player all year . . . He singlehandedly won games. So he's got my vote.”
Kreider does not get a vote, and Shesterkin is unlikely to win over fellow finalists Auston Matthews of Toronto and Connor McDavid of Edmonton. But Shesterkin is only the fifth Rangers goalie to be a Hart finalist, the first since Henrik Lundqvist and only the second since 1967.
Shesterkin, 26, had the league’s best regular-season goals-against average (2.07) and save percentage (.935), plus six shutouts.
Artemi Panarin was a Hart finalist two seasons ago. The last Ranger to win the award was Mark Messier in 1991-92.
Shesterkin was pulled from Games 3 and 4 of the Rangers’ current playoff series against the Penguins but bounced back with a 5-3 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday.
The Rangers have not made him available to reporters since after Game 2.
“Ask anybody in our room; he’s been our backbone all year,” Jacob Trouba said. “Special season, and he deserves all the accolades that are coming his way.”
Kreider, a former teammate of Lundqvist, said he has enjoyed “a wealth of riches” at that position during his Rangers career.
“It’s kind of what I’m used to at this point,” he said. “But this season has been otherworldly. He's been amazing as a teammate and as a competitor and as a person and [we’re] really, really lucky to have him.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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