RALEIGH, N.C. — Signed, sealed and now all that’s left for Igor Shesterkin and Vitali Kravtsov is to deliver the difference-making performances the Rangers expect when they arrive in New York.
Of course the Blueshirts aren’t expecting an immediate impact from the two Russians who on Friday made it official by signing three-year entry contracts a couple of days after their commitments to the KHL expired but big things are anticipated down the line.
Shesterkin, 23, has achieved near mythical status throughout Rangerstown off a succession of stunning seasons in Russia, going 24-3-1 with 10 shutouts this year with SKA while leading the KHL with a 1.11 GAA and .953 save pct. He is expected to participate at the Rangers prospect camp that will commence June 24 at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, as construction continues on the club’s training facility in Tarrytown.
The 6-1, 187 goaltender — actually small by current standards — has an assignment clause in his contract that would allow him to return to the KHL if his game does not translate and he somehow becomes stuck in Hartford for the long haul. It is understood that Shesterkin, who is expected to compete with Alex Georgiev for the spot behind/beside Henrik Lundqvist, would report to the AHL Wolf Pack if a North American apprenticeship is required.
Shesterkin was selected in the fourth round, 114th overall, in 2014. The Rangers drafted seven players that year, with Brandon Halverson’s 12:33 of relief action on Feb. 17, 2018 representing the lone NHL game of that group. Until now.
Kravtsov, the somewhat controversial ninth-overall selection a year ago immediately ahead of BC sniper Oliver Wahlstrom, is expected to compete for a spot on the wing following a KHL season in which the 19-year-old led all Under-20s with eight goals, 13 assists and 21 points. The 21 points represent the ninth-highest single season mark by a KHL teenager. A lefty shooter who has played primarily on the right, the winger also has a European assignment clause in case he gets bogged down for an extended period in Hartford. He is expected to attend prospect camp for the second time.
Shesterkin signed a two-year contract and Kravtsov a three-year entry-level deal, both maxed out at $925,000 per plus bonuses.
Yegor Rykov, the 22-year-old lefty defenseman the Blueshirts acquired from New Jersey in the Michael Grabner deal just before the 2018 deadline, is expected to remain in the KHL, though the Rangers are in continuing dialog with him and his representative.
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