The New York Rangers have been working on completing a contract extension for superstar goaltender Igor Shesterkin, but haven’t been successful just yet. As the Rangers enter what will likely be their final season of contention before they head toward a retool, they should be focused on getting a new deal done sooner rather than later so they don’t risk him entering free agency next offseason.
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Reports were circulating that he had rejected a massive eight-year extension worth $11 million annually, which would have made him the highest-paid goalie of all time. After the Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings on Monday (Oct. 14), Red Wings’ head coach Derek Lalonde had some interesting praise for Shesterkin, who stopped 31 of 32 shots en route to a 4-1 win. “He’s special,” Lalonde said, “I can see why he turned down the 88 (million dollars). Good agent.”
Rejecting that offer likely means Shesterkin wants to break the $100 million mark throughout his next contract, or $12.5 million annually, which is a hefty ask for an aging goaltender. For a head coach to mention contract negotiations is rare, and it has to have an impact on the Rangers’ extension talks moving forward. On top of that, if Shesterkin can continue playing well throughout the 2024-25 campaign, it’s not out of the realm of possibility he will become one of the highest-paid players in the NHL, let alone one of the highest-paid goaltenders.
Shesterkin Could Fetch Plenty of Interest in Open Market
While there is no indication that the Rangers and Shesterkin won’t be able to get an extension completed, there is going to be a possibility that he enters free agency next offseason and chooses to gauge his options on the open market. With elite goaltenders coming at an extremely high price since they’re hard to find, he would almost certainly have interest from almost every team in the NHL, especially teams that have been struggling to find consistent goaltending depth. While Shesterkin’s asking price is high, teams could be willing to dump salary to make him an irrefutable offer.
When it comes to strong fits for Shesterkin, it’s hard not to see the Calgary Flames as a strong fit. They have struggled to find consistency from Dan Vladar who has been solid but may not be trustworthy enough to bring them back into the postseason. With Dustin Wolf on his way to being a full-time NHL goaltender, adding Shesterkin to the mix could take them from rebuilders to contenders right away. The Edmonton Oilers could also be a fit for Shesterkin, except they don’t have the money to make a big splash next summer so that connection is out of the question. Either way, Shesterkin should earn a massive pay raise on his next contract, especially if he enters free agency and teams enter a bidding war for his services.
The Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Columbus Blue Jackets could all make massive offers to Shesterkin in free agency and make it worth his while to sign with them, despite not being contenders, but I would assume he wants to sign somewhere he has a chance to win a Stanley Cup. Realistically, that doesn’t leave him many options, so my prediction is he re-signs with the Rangers.
Regardless of where Shesterkin ends up signing, he will almost certainly become to highest-paid goaltender in NHL history, and rightfully so. However, some teams may be concerned that he may begin to decline after this season. At 28 years old, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, but goalies can be random at times. Either way, he is going to earn a massive contract that will lock him up until the end of his career, it will simply be a matter of where he ends up signing.
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