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Best young goaltender in the Metro Division?

April 2, 2020, 11:07 AM ET [45 Comments]
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With the likes of Carter Hart, Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Samsonov, Mackenzie Blackwood and Elvis Merzlikins, among others, playing in the same division, the Metro appears to be set in goal for a long, long, time.

Today we share our thoughts on which of the bunch we’d like manning the crease moving forward.

Todd Cordell

A solid case could probably be made for any of them but I think Igor Shesterkin is the right choice.

The ultra-talented rookie just put up a .932 save percentage with a New York Rangers team that couldn’t defend a lick. Shesterkin faced more Expected Goals per 60 at 5v5 than every goalie in the league...besides Henrik Lundqvist. That says a lot about the state of the Rangers defense. They gave up quantity and quality and it didn’t matter.

I fully realize 12 games is a small sample size but Shesterkin has posted a save percentage of *at least* .932 in five consecutive seasons (split between the NHL, AHL, and KHL).

He was 19 at the start of the year the last time he came in at a number below that, and his numbers were still quite strong considering he was playing against men in what’s almost certainly the 2nd best league in the world.

There is no shortage of evidence suggesting he’s the real deal, and I’m not going against it.

Beyond the numbers, Shesterkin passes the eye test with flying colours. He is super athletic yet technically sound. He makes difficult saves look routine. He’s never out of a play. The kid is just a freak.

Again, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the options; they’re all extremely promising. I just think Shesterkin is the best bet to provide top-tier goaltending for the long haul.

Sean Maloughney

There are a number of young talented goalies who have entered the league over the past two seasons, with varying amounts of games played. Trying to assess how goalies will pan out is almost impossible but Elvis Merlikins makes a strong case for himself.

His base stats alone are impressive. Through the first 33 games of his career this season, Merzlikins posted a 0.923SV% and a 2.35GAA. Those are high end numbers alone but comparing him to his fellow goaltenders makes him look even more impressive.

Looking at the 54 goaltenders this season who played at least 1000 minutes at 5 on 5, Merzlikins finished 6th in SV% at 0.931, that is higher than Connor Hellebuyck who will likely end up winning the Vezina.

The other important detail to keep in mind is that the Blue Jackets are not a dominant team this season so you can't say that Merzlikins is getting any easy breaks in net. Combine that with the number of man games the Blue Jackets lost to injury this season and a rookie goaltender posting those kind of numbers looks even better.

Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com

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