The Rangers will have to pay a historic amount to keep their star netminder off next year’s unrestricted free agent market. Igor Shesterkin has rejected an eight-year extension offer from the Blueshirts worth $88MM, reports Kevin Weekes of ESPN. The deal would have made him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history.
Not only is Shesterkin the highest-profile goaltender set to be available in free agency next summer, he would be the highest-profile goaltender to hit UFA status in the salary cap era. But there’s a clear interest from the player’s side to remain in New York. They’ve been in contract talks since at least August, although a report from the New York Post’s Mollie Walker back in June indicated Shesterkin was likely looking for a $12MM price tag per season on an eight-year extension.
If Shesterkin and agent Maxim Moliver have held to that figure, then there’s still a $1MM gap to bridge between the Rangers and the 28-year-old. Walker wrote last month that Shesterkin would stop contract negotiations once the regular season started, so if there isn’t significant movement before New York opens its season in Pittsburgh tomorrow night, Rangers general manager Chris Drury will have the entire 82-game schedule to ponder whether he’s willing to shell out the additional cash to keep Shesterkin in Manhattan.
All signs up to this point indicate the Rangers were and still are willing to give Shesterkin the richest goalie contract ever, eclipsing Carey Price’s eight-year, $84MM extension with the Canadiens. That obviously hasn’t changed considering their $88MM offer, but Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff’s report last month that the Rangers were “unfazed” by Shesterkin’s unwillingness to negotiate during the season suggests they anticipated being able to get him to come down slightly from his $12MM AAV ask.
It’s certainly a gamble on Shesterkin’s part to reject the offer. He now essentially controls his destiny with his performance this season. A second career Vezina nomination likely cements his ability to land north of $12MM annually on the open market, while a still elite but more inconsistent showing like last year’s (.912 SV%, 2.58 GAA, 14.2 GSAA) likely keeps him in the 11s.
While the markets are completely different for skaters and goaltenders, it’s clear Shesterkin is looking to capitalize on an expected run of inflated contracts for franchise cornerstones after the Oilers forked over $14MM annually to keep Leon Draisaitl on an eight-year extension, the richest contract since the 2012 lockout. The Bruins signing restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66MM deal over the weekend likely helps Shesterkin’s case as well. The Russian has superior career regular-season and playoff numbers to his Eastern Conference counterpart and has started 50-plus games in each of the last three seasons – something Swayman’s never done.
Simply put, losing Shesterkin in the middle of their championship contention window is not an option for the Rangers, who have been a much more pedestrian possession club at even strength than you’d expect, given their record over the past few years. Shesterkin has saved 82.38 goals above expected over the past three years, per Evolving Hockey, second to only Jets star Connor Hellebuyck. He stopped 86.58 in that frame but logged 24 more games played. There’s an extremely strong argument that he’s the league’s best goaltender, and there’s nothing resembling a succession plan in the Rangers’ prospect pipeline.
With more clarity on next year’s salary cap likely to come as the season progresses, Drury may be more willing to allocate the money needed to keep Shesterkin when the season wraps up. However, a successful season for the Rangers results in a Stanley Cup Final appearance, which would leave only a few days for Drury and Shesterkin’s camp to work out a deal if he remains unwilling to negotiate while game action is ongoing.
Wow. So is he wanting more money or is he looking at a new location? Also I can’t really believe that he’s already reaching UFA status. It feels like he just entered the league not that long ago.
Service time doesn’t matter in terms of UFA status as long as you’re 27 years old by 7/1. He didn’t come over until he was 24
He will sign a 5 year 40 million contract because of this . lol
That’s a lot of rubles.
Shesterkin demands $12 million per year, no one bats an eye.
Swayman wants $8 million per year, people lose their minds.
Yeah well, Swayman was an RFA and Shesterkin is a UFA, so there will obviously be a gap between the two contracts, not to mention in their body of work. You’re comparing apples to oranges.
Shesterkin is several tiers better than Swayman.
$12+mil per for a goalie? NYR are gonna have to pay up or look to a FA for a replacement.
Kraken will give you Grubauer for him
Might be a mistake rejecting that offer. Don’t see anyone willing to top 8×11. Even if free I don’t see an offer topping 11M per season. Might not see 7×10 on the free market.
I don’t know. I can see a rebuilding team who is ready to take the next step being able to afford that contract. Looking at you, Chicago.
If that’s the case I’d trade him. No goalie is worth $11 million, let alone more than that. Goalies are so inconsistent from year to year.
Most goalies are inconsistent. This is why the Rangers want to lock down one of the consistent ones. The chances of finding another Igor is unlikely. But 8 years is too long.
$12M for 3yrs…sure.. $12M for 8 yrs….pass
Trade him. Will never earn the life of that contract demand
I’d say trade him to Utah or San Jose. Or CBJ. For a couple of 1st round pics plus some. That would serve him a lesson.
That’s referred to as “cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
GM Waddell will see the caller ID say Chris Drury & let it go straight to voicemail.
Waddell never paid a goalie anything near $8mil per as GM of Carolina.
That’s because of ownership
Drury-
“Waddell you want Igor?”
Waddell-
“You sign him to a max term $12mil per deal & retain half & I’ll send you a 1st, Elvis & a future 2nd”
So dumb. I hope he has an awful year now and regrets it
Has hoping for something ever worked for you?
Sure has…I hoped someone would have a dumb snarky response to my comment. So there’s that.
Then you must’ve also hoped for someone to think you’re a fool.
You can think all you want, but I know you are a fool.
Don’t think I’d risk $88 million over an extra $8 million
How many of these deals, given to goalies, have worked out over the length of the contract? ANY? Price. Bobrovsky. Gibson. DiPietro. There are just so very many where teams have shot themselves in the proverbial foot.
Bob looking pretty good currently.
And looked pretty crappy for four seasons there. How much success did Florida NOT have while Bob was the highest paid “Meh” goalie in the league?
Flags fly forever.
I subscribe to the idea that he’s looking at $11M over a shorter term and it is NY that is reluctant to make the deal. He’s trying to get another big money deal in a higher cap era in his mid 30s to take him through retirement.
That doesn’t make any sense. The AAV would go up on a shorter deal, not down. Rangers will end up paying him what he wants.
How does it not make sense? They offered him $11M over 8 years, he countered with 5 years. 8 year deal would put him in his late 30s.