Alex Georgiev is the lone casualty in Igor Shesterkin’s Rangers ascent - New York Post
The breakdown over the last 19 games was Georgiev 10, Shesterkin eight and Lundqvist one. Georgiev played well, but he was bypassed in the qualifying round against the Hurricanes. Lundqvist started the first two games while Shesterkin, who’d suffered a groin injury in a pre-tournament exhibition, rehabbed before starting the third and final contest of the sweep.
That did not sit well with Georgiev, who had a 2020-21 season that was by far the worst of his career which began with a late season promotion in 2017-18. He got out of the gate poorly this season, but seemed to turn it around with a run of quality performances after Shesterkin went down with a groin injury in early December.
But has not been the case lately. The fact is, Georgiev is 1-4 in his last five starts with a .871 save percentage and 3.65 goals against average since Jan. 6. That includes his 41-second relief appearance, in which No. 40 did not touch the puck, while Shesterkin was in concussion protocol late in overtime Tuesday against the Bruins. Since winning his first three starts in the wake of Shesterkin’s injury, Georgiev has gone 2-6-1 with a .900 save percentage and 2.91 GAA. That’s not good enough.
The Rangers are in Ottawa on Sunday. They’re then off until a Garden confrontation Thursday against the Capitals. There will be a back-to-back next weekend, Saturday in Pittsburgh followed by the Feb. 27 Garden match against Vancouver and, oh, J.T. Miller.
Georgiev’s last start was on Jan. 27. I would expect him to play against the Senators this Sunday. It will be difficult enough for him after this type of layoff, but adding another week by waiting for the back-to-back seems like a bridge too far.
Any one of Georgiev’s upcoming starts might be his last as a Ranger. Given that the club will not be able to qualify him this summer when his contract expires, he will be on track to become a free agent. The upcoming March 21 trade deadline represents the Rangers’ last opportunity to get something in return for the NHL’s first Bulgarian-born player.
The Blueshirts would have to obtain a backup to replace Georgiev, with either Thomas Greiss — who played so well for the Red Wings in their 3-2 shootout victory at the Garden on Thursday — or Jaro Halak — currently on injured reserve for the Canucks — as potential targets.
But the Rangers’ relationship with Georgiev, who has felt suppressed in his role, is probably coming to an end as the lone casualty of the handoff from Lundqvist to Shesterkin.
