Ranking the top-6 goaltenders in the Metro Division

Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin predictably hold the top spots. But who follows?

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I recently concluded a mini series ranking the best Metro Division players at each position; or so you – and I – thought!

I wasn’t going to rank goaltenders because there is such extreme variance at the position that rankings from year-to-year can show almost no resemblance. Then I thought about it and decided that’s half the fun.

So, with that in mind, here are my rankings for the top-6 goaltenders playing for Metro Division sides:

1. Igor Shesterkin

Ranking Shesterkin No. 1 last year was the one thing I really nailed. I didn’t necessarily care he only appeared in 35 games in 2021; his numbers were so strong – as was his prior track record in Russia – that there wasn’t much concern about him being a ‘one-year wonder’ or putting too much stock in a small sample.

Shesterkin rewarded my belief with one of the best seasons I have ever seen from a netminder.

In a year where scoring was way up – and save percentages were down (league average was .902) – Shesterkin posted a mind-numbingly good .935 SV% over 53 games.

The New York Rangers were not a good defensive team for much of the year and it didn’t matter one bit.

Shesterkin still stopped seemingly everything that came his way and helped the Rangers win 68% of his starts. Insanity.

I’m not sure I’d expect another year of .935 but Shesterkin’s play could drop off a bit and he’d still remain the top dog.

2. Ilya Sorokin

Sorokin, like Shesterkin, is an ultra talented netminder who has posted fantastic numbers wherever he’s gone.

I wasn’t as confident he’d be elite as I was with Shesterkin, though. His numbers during his rookie campaign were not as good and I thought there were some team effects; playing behind a Barry Trotz coached side is goaltender heaven.

I wanted to see how he’d hold up over a larger body of work. The answer, of course, was very well.

Sorokin took over as the undisputed starter for the New York Islanders and posted remarkably strong numbers across the board.

His total save percentage (.925) was miles ahead of the league average and he was the best goaltender in the NHL at 5v5. Yes, even (slightly) better than Shesterkin.

I’m not overly high on the Islanders roster as a whole but, like Shesterkin, Sorokin is so good that he can mask a lot of problems and keep them competitive.

3. Darcy Kuemper