Goalies don’t win championships

It was a decision that sent shockwaves through the RHL. Just months before Igor Shesterkin was expected to ink what would have been the richest contract ever given to a goaltender in the RHL, the Sharks parted ways with their franchise netminder.

Shesterkin was one of the only 3 remaining players from the Sharks roster GM BRRR inherited from a mysterious GM called Novi in 2020. 184 trades later, it was time for Shesterkin to go. Ryan O’Reilly and Mario Ferraro are your last 2 original Sharks.

When GM BRRR got Mackenzie Blackwood to sign an offer sheet on July 16th 2024, he envisioned nothing more than securing a decent backup goalie until Devon Levi was up to the task. The 4 x 1,150,000$ offer along with a 2,300,000$ signing bonus convinced GM Rsyzygy to let him walk. His 44 games played that season with an unimpressive 3.45 GAA and .899 save percentage left everyone wondering if he was even still going to be in the league 4 years from then.

What happened next left everyone stunned. Blackwood turned the tide big time, registering an amazing season and restoring hope he’s the real deal for years to come. All of sudden, Blackwood is a top 5 rated goalie in the league, is just 28, with still 3 more years at a 1,150,000$ AAV. 

That same season saw Shesterkin’s star fade a little. The team got to expect him to be amongst the goalie leaders every year, but this season, he was just OK. From there, the questions began.

With the countdown running towards an upcoming contract guaranteed to earn him north of 11M$ per year, was 29 year-old Shesterkin still the short, medium and long-term solution over the newly elite 28 year-old-way-underpaid Blackwood ?

What would be the actual trade value of a 30 year-old goalie signed at 12M$ per ?

GM BRRR had turned down doubts and questions about Shesterkin for years. Why couldn’t the team take the next steps all those years even with one of the top goalies in the league, always settling for a wildcard playoff and an early playoffs exit ? What if the truth is that goalies don’t win championships ?

Words of the last two Stanley Cups Blix stuck a chord big time when discussing a potential Shesterkin deal, he dropped :

“I just won with Samuel Ersson”

That was it for Shesterkin in San Jose. GM BRRR made up his mind instantly he had to try something different. Convinced the clock was ticking before Shesterkin's monstrous upcoming contract killed completely his trade value, BRRR turned to longtime mate MatsLP who had publicly declared his search for a starting goalie. In a matter of minutes it was settled. Welcome Dylan Larkin, certified speedster and consistent producer for many years to come to the newest version of the Sharks.

Let’s run it back, but with more offense.

It’s a cold, calculated decision — the kind that wins championships in today’s RHL.
Worst case, Igor wins it in NJ next. Only time will tell.