ESPN analyst and NHL insider Kevin Weekes didn’t drop a name, but he certainly teased that the New York Rangers and goaltender Igor Shesterkin might be close on an extension that will see the goaltender make $11.5 million per season.
There has been talk that Shesterkin might be asking for this type of a contract and other reports that the Rangers were hesitant to go this high. But, Shesterkin has continued to elevate his play this season, proving that he’s arguably the best goaltender in the NHL. He wanted to change the market for NHL netminders and this deal, if it’s true, will certainly do that.
Until there is confirmation from the team or Weekes elaborates on his post more, we’ll simply report that this is just a rumor for now.
Shesterkin About to Set New Record for NHL Goalie Contracts?
This deal would not only break Carey Price‘s previous contract high, but it would break it by $1 million. That’s a huge amount of money to invest in a goalie, but the Rangers might not have a lot of choice if Shesterkin is sticking to his guns and not ready to take a discount.
He’s arguably their best player and wants to be paid as such. Weekes didn’t report any sort of term as part of the deal, so it will be intriguing to see if this is an eight-year deal or something shorter. At 28 years old, the assumption would be that the Rangers want the longest term they can get out of this deal to avoid having to pay him any more down the road.
Signing bonuses and clauses on the deal will also be fascinating, if and when this is announced officially.
