The projected highest-paid goaltender in the NHL and its biggest rogue will both drop in on the Maple Leafs Saturday night.
Igor Shesterkin and Matt Rempe will be cause for concern at both ends in what shapes up as the toughest test for Toronto in its first five games. The New York Rangers have yet to lose in regulation (3-0-1) and are averaging five goals a night before the Leafs even get to breaking down the Shesterkin wall or get distracted by the 6-foot-7, 241-pound Rempe.
If something extracurricular happens with Rempe, it will likely involve Ryan Reaves of the Leafs, who took on the newcomer last March here and though older and smaller than a long-limbed foe, fought to a draw.
Rempe is still a bit too raw for coach Peter Laviolette to employ every night — this will be his second game of the year — but the latter played up the 22-year-old’s positives.
“Matt brings more to the table,” Laviolette insisted after the Rangers’ morning skate at Scotiabank Arena. “He can hit, he goes to the net hard, he’s a big body. Yeah, he can fight if he wants to or has to, but there is more to his game.
“As a young player, we’re just trying to make sure we’re handling him the right way, whether it be practice or games and he gets that opportunity to play at a higher level. He’s a good young prospect.
“The (heavyweight) role has definitely changed. You can go way back to when I came in (coaching) in 2000, a completely different set of rules. There’s definitely has to be more to it than fighting nowadays, you have to be ready to play the game.
“He’s had a good summer, he’s worked on his skating and skills and is trying to make an impact every game to earn a regular spot.”
Rempe called last year’s appearance at SBS, which was also a Hockey Night in Canada match, “a lot of fun, an eventful game”, adding his parents, family and friends will be watching Saturday back in Alberta.
The summer skating program he embarked on was meant to make him more agile in that larger frame, while he did accept a unique invite from old school enforcer George Laraque to get together on the ice for boxing lessons on blades.
“He’s legendary in the game, tough as nails and obviously I’d jump on an opportunity like that,” Rempe said. “He has tricks to defend yourself better, little things.”
Shesterkin did not get the mega-deal done that he hoped by the start of the regular season and ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported recently he’d turned down an eight-year $88 million US offer. That would’ve been the best deal any NHL goalie has received, but Shesterkin and his agent are reportedly pushing toward $12 million a season.
Not that he hasn’t earned the right to try for a big payday with the salary cap increasing and a .927 save percentage for New York last year in playoffs as they led, but couldn’t finish off the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference final. Shesterkin’s percentage was .913 in regular season and .921 through three starts this month.
“How do I put it, a lifesaver,” joked defenceman K’Andre Miller of the Russian. “You don’t want to use that term, but it’s so great having a guy like that, so competitive and willing to do whatever it takes to keep the puck out of the net.
“I feel we have the best two in the league (Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick).”
Laviolette was also asked about his one-time Philadelphia assistant, current Leaf head coach Craig Berube.
“Chief’s always been a guy who talks about defence. I know they have talent and skill, but when we worked together, he was about defence and Toronto seems to be about defend and pack the house.”