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The New York Rangers had a chance to make the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs this season, but this happened and everything went downhill.

The New York Rangers entered this season with hopes of turning things around. For a while, it seemed like they might just pull that off. The Rangers, while hardly dominating the NHL, were in the playoff picture for most of the first half of the season.

On January 2, the Blueshirts snapped a three-game skid with a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers. That was the Discover NHL Winter Classic. Mika Zibanejad had a night to remember, and the Rangers cruised past the defending Stanley Cup champions.

It looked as though the Rangers were poised to go on a run. The Blueshirts were on the fringes of the playoff race, one point away from the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Then, disaster hit. During the Rangers’ next game, starting netminder Igor Shesterkin went down with a devastating injury. It wasn’t the sort of injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season, but it was significant enough to derail the Rangers’ season.

The wheels came off. New York lost five in a row with Jonathan Quick in the crease, including a 10-2 annihilation at the hands of the Boston Bruins on January 10. The Rangers would go on to drop eight of their next nine, and 13 of 15 heading into the Olympics.

That was the season. That stretch of about a month without Shesterkin doomed the season. It proved that the only thing keeping the Blueshirts from total disaster was their Vezina-caliber goalie. When Shesterkin went down, so did the team’s hopes of making a playoff run.

Shesterkin Brought Some Respectability Back to the Rangers

When Shesterkin returned to the ice following the Olympics, he brought back some respectability to the club. For a moment, a four-game winning streak following the NHL trade deadline potentially gave the fanbase some hope of a turnaround.

That hope was effectively shattered by a six-game skid. That streak secured last place in the Eastern Conference for the Rangers. It was a tough stretch for everyone to swallow. It was also proof that the team’s largely veteran core just didn’t have the wherewithal to compete this season.

Even with Shesterkin back in the fold, the club could not muster enough offense to support Shesterkin, regardless of how much he stood on his head.

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Shesterkin the Last to Blame for Lost Season

The overall outcome for this season could have been much worse for the Rangers if not for Shesterkin. Had the Russian star seriously floundered, the Rangers could have resulted with a lower point total than the Vancouver Canucks.

There’s no question that Shesterkin kept the Rangers above water for most of the season. Yes, the team ultimately sank. But at least it wasn’t a spectacular failure that would have been historically noteworthy.

That’s why Shesterkin should be the last to catch blame for this lost Rangers season. There are plenty of other places where the finger-pointing could land. If anything, the organization should be glad to know they have a high-end goalie they can build around.

However, the Blueshirts cannot pin their strategy for next season on Shesterkin stealing the bulk of the year. Building a solid defense in front of him would be a great start to hopefully turning things around.