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With a bit of a lull in the summer sports schedule, SNY put together a list of the top 10 professional athletes in New York right now, and a pair of New York Rangers stars made the cut.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin is ranked No. 5 on the list and forward Artemi Panarin is No. 8. No Islanders were in the top 10, and the Rangers were tied with the Yankees and Mets for most players on the list with two apiece.
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks is a solid pick for the No. 1 spot. He’s followed by Yankees superstars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in that order. Hard to argue with that top three. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is in the fourth spot, though it certainly can be argued that Shesterkin deserves to be ranked ahead of him.
Jets corner Sauce Gardner is sixth and Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo seventh on the list. Then Panarin, followed by Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu and Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
Rangers forward Chris Kreider and defenseman Adam Fox are honorable mentions, along with 10 other New York-area athletes.
Related: Rangers’ Adam Fox has one of best NHL contract, report reveals
Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, Artemi Panarin among best New York athletes
Shesterkin is coming off a fantastic run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he was far and away the Blueshirts best player. His .927 save percentage was second only to Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins (.933) in the postseason and his 2.34 goals-against average was fourth best.
The 28-year-old, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this upcoming season, has 36, 37 and 36 wins the past three seasons and is 135-59-17 in 213 NHL games. He won the Vezina Trophy as the top NHL goalie in 2021-22.
Recently, Shesterkin said in a Russian YouTube interview that he was so displeased with the start to his 2023-24 season that he believed he didn’t deserve being selected to play in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. Of course, he went on to have a terrific second half to the season, finished up strong and was a standout in the playoffs.
The SNY staff had this to say about the Rangers goalie, “Shesterkin won the Vezina trophy in 2021-22, is a three-time All-Star, and rebounded from his rough patch this past season to be absolutely lockdown late in the campaign before turning into a brick wall in the playoffs — something that’s become the norm for him when the calendar flips to April.”
Panarin scored an NHL career-high 49 goals and had 120 points, second most in Rangers history, and was in contention again for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP last season. He’s had at least 92 points in four of his five seasons since signing with the Rangers as a free agent, and has two years remaining on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
After a fast start in the playoffs, Panarin struggled mightily against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. But that didn’t keep him off this list, rightfully so.
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