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New York Rangers superstar goaltender Igor Shesterkin has established himself as one of the best players at his position in the National Hockey League — and he wants to be paid like it.
The 28-year-old, who is entering his final season under contract with the Blueshirts in 2024-25, is reportedly looking for $12 million AAV on his next deal. That would make him the highest paid goaltender in NHL history, according to the New York Post's Mollie Walker.
“A $12 million average annual value has been reaffirmed by industry sources as a target for Shesterkin’s camp,” Walker wrote on Monday.
Walker also confirmed The Athletic's reporting that, if a new contract isn't agreed to by the start of the season on October 9, Shesterkin's camp will table talks until the end of the season.
“If negotiations don’t resume and a deal is not reached over the next two weeks or so, as The Athletic first reported, there likely won’t be any during the season, The Post confirmed,” wrote Walker.
“There were preliminary discussions between the Rangers and Shesterkin’s camp earlier in the summer. The lack of a contract, however, naturally indicates they’re not seeing eye-to-eye. The longer Shesterkin goes without a contract, the more precarious the situation becomes for the Rangers.”
If Shesterkin ends the 2024-25 campaign without a new contract, it's expected that a ton of teams will offer the Russian a lucrative deal to try to pry him out of New York.
Igor Shesterkin is happy with Rangers despite lack of new deal
Despite the distractions, Shesterkin is focused not on a new contract, but on helping his team win this season.
“I love the team, I love the fans, so of course it will be great to stay here. But you never know what’s going to happen,” the star netminder said on Friday.
He added regarding contract negotiations that reportedly aren't remotely close: “It’s work for my agent. I just want to be focused on my game, on practice every day.”
It's no secret that Shesterkin is a game-breaker; his .921 save percentage ranks second in the NHL over the last three seasons. He was also exceptional in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping the Rangers come within two victories of their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2014.
Shesterkin also holds a .929 save percentage in the postseason since 2021-22, which is the best in the league among goalies with at least 20 postseason appearances, per Walker.
The quality of the player is certainly not in doubt; this is the type of netminder you win a Stanley Cup with. Still, if a deal isn't hammered out by the time the Rangers open their campaign against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pennsylvania on October 9, there will be question marks surrounding him all year long.
It seems more and more likely that Shesterkin is going to be the highest-paid goalie in National Hockey League history. And if it isn't the Rangers paying him, it'll be another team on the open market next summer.
It'll be intriguing to see if player and club can find common ground over the next two weeks.
