Reports out of New York indicate the Rangers are likely to go with Igor Shesterkin in net, the 24-year-old who carried the Rangers down the stretch and into the glorious stratosphere of 12th place, also-rans in a normal year, playoff qualifiers in this very abnormal year.
Shesterkin getting the call is not a particularly surprising or controversial development to most of the world, but it is more fascinating to anyone who has witnessed Henrik Lundqvist's complete and utter dominance of the Carolina Hurricanes over the course of his career, even now, in the dotage of his career.
It's a nifty little luxury for the Rangers and a wonderful thing for all of us, because the fact that who the Rangers will or should start in goal against the Hurricanes is even open for debate means that we've gotten far enough into the NHL's pandemic-paused training camps to have such matters open for consideration.
There was never any guarantee the NHL would get this far. But at the moment all systems are go for the Hurricanes' departure to the Toronto playoff bubble Sunday for their best-of-five series against the Rangers _ and perhaps beyond.
As August approaches, it's looking increasingly likely that the NHL actually has a chance to pull this off, thanks in large part to Canada being so far ahead of the COVID curve compared to the United States. If the NHL can get its U.S.-based teams across the border and into the relative safety of Toronto and Edmonton _ still an open question _ the threat of the virus will be substantially ameliorated.
Even in the United States, the NWSL and MLS have shown that the bubble theory works in practice. The NWSL lost one team before it ever got into its Utah bubble and MLS had a rash of positive tests and postponed games upon arrival in Orlando, but once fully established on site, it has been clear sailing for both.
Their experience _ so far _ indicates there is indeed a real chance to play pro sports safely in a controlled and contained environment. What MLB and the NFL are trying is a different animal altogether, which is one reason why Canada was willing to lift its 14-day quarantine for American arrivals for the NHL and told the Blue Jays they'd have to play somewhere other than Toronto.
There's more testing to be done, but with each passing day, it's looking increasingly likely the NHL will be able to award the Stanley Cup in a manner that's entirely worthy of the feat. For the Hurricanes to get there, they'll have to get past the Rangers, and they may quietly be thrilled to see Shesterkin first.
Shesterkin earned the right to be the Rangers' playoff goalie before the pause, but it will not be shocking in the least if Lundqvist gets the call at some point should Shesterkin stumble even slightly.
There are horses for courses and there are goalies whose performance against certain opponents defies any attempt at logic, and Lundqvist has been peerless against the Hurricanes in all of their forms over the past decade-plus: The old, good Hurricanes and the old, bad Hurricanes and the new, good Hurricanes alike. His career save percentage against Carolina is .934, his best against any NHL team, and he's won 33 of 46 starts against.
Oh, those were the old days, when Lundqvist was younger than 38? This season, the Hurricanes peppered him with 132 shots and scored all of seven goals. Apparently that wasn't enough to get him the call.
After a summer of dialogue about COVID and the coronavirus, weighted with real implications of life and death, it's more than a diversion to wonder about who the Rangers will start in goal. It's a relief.
