The Rangers and Islanders are set with Sorokin and Shesty Mack hasn't shown he's consistent yet or a true number one....Wallstedt should be considered if anything to lock down that positions depth for the next 10 15 years between him and Mack and Dawes
Have Sorokin or Shesterkin really shown any more than Mac?
Both the Russian goalies were both drafted in 2014, Sorokin turns 26 in August while Shesterkin is a bit younger, turning 26 in December. Blackwood also has a December bday, so he’s a year younger than Shesterkin.
Sorokin has played in 22 regular season NHL games, starting in 21, in his first NHL season and he also played 7 playoff games, starting in 5.
He received 4 points in Calder voting*, getting two votes (one 4th & one 5th). That tied him for 15th with Wild’s goalie Kahkonen, 24, who got the same two votes. (There were four goalies who finished ahead of them.)
Shesterkin played 12 NHL games in 2019-20, starting in 10. He had one start in the bubble qualifying round. This is his rookie season, he played in 35 games, starting in 31. (That’s a total of 48 games and 42 starts.)
Shesterkin got 165 points in the Calder voting, getting 13 3rd place votes, 29 4th place and 13 5th place. That was good enough for 5th. Shesterkin was the 2nd goalie in voting, Nedeljkovic, 25, came in 3rd while Vanecek, 25, came in 6th and Lankinen, 25, came in 13th.
Blackwood first played in the NHL in 2018-19, playing in 23 games and starting 21. His rookie season was 2019-20, when he was 23, and he played in 47 games and started in 43. This season he played 35 games, all starts. That’s a total of 105 games with 99 starts.
He got 164 points in 2019-20 Calder voting, receiving 1 2nd place vote, 16 3rd place, 15 4th place and 32 5th place. That got Mac 6th place, behind Merzlikins, 25, in 5th and ahead of Samsonov, 22, in 12th.
*Note: The PHWA limited the number of voters to 100 this year to limit the geographical disparities among the voters. There were 170 in 2019-20.
Have they shown more than Blackwood? Shesterkin might have simply because he has been very impressive. Sorokin hasn’t done much though and plays on a team that has recently made several goalies look very good so it’s harder to judge him. Not sure how ~20 games proves a goalie is reliable number one starter either.
And people do discuss both of them like they’re up and coming young goalies but they’re not particularly young. It took forever to get them both over. Both of those teams aren’t “set” in net long term, they have to start looking at drafting goalie prospects too.
I don’t mind drafting goalies in the 1st round but 4OA is a bit extreme to me though.