Rangers place Igor Shesterkin on Injured Reserve

The New York Rangers have placed goaltender Igor Shesterkin on Injured Reserve (IR) with an upper-body injury, according to The Athletic reporter Arthur Staple.

In a corresponding move, the Rangers called up goaltender Louis Dominigue from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Shesterkin may have suffered the injury during the Rangers’ 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Dec. 31, where he allowed four goals on 25 shots.

The 29-year-old Shesterkin is 11-15-1 with a .906 save percentage and 3.10 goals against average in 27 appearances this season. Through six NHL seasons, the Rangers’ netminder has a 146-74-18 record with a .919 SV% and 2.50 GAA.

Shesterkin and the Rangers agreed to terms on an eight-year, $92 million contract extension on Dec. 6, a deal that will pay the Russian netminder $11.5 million per year.

Shesterkin was a fourth-round pick for the Rangers in the 2014 NHL Draft out of Russia, although he did spend another five seasons there before finally making his pro debut in the 2019-20 season. He played 25 games in the AHL before making his NHL debut, and he never looked back.

He’s currently in his sixth season with the Rangers, and his fifth as the starter, and also captured a Vezina Trophy in the 2021-22 season.

The Rangers go into 2025 with a 16-19-1 record and 33 points, eighth in the Metropolitan Division and 26th in the entire league. New York has lost four straight and are 2-8-0 in their last 10 games.

Backup netminder Jonathan Quick is expected to play more in Shesterkin’s absence. In 12 appearances this season, Quick is 5-4-0 with a .907 SV% and 2.69 GAA.

The Rangers’ next game is Jan. 2 against the Boston Bruins.