Igor Shesterkin recently turned down a massive contract extension that would have been worth $88 million over the span of eight years.
This would have paid him an average annual salary of $11 million. Overall, this would make him the highest-paid goaltender in the history of the National Hockey League. However, he believes that he is actually going to be worth more. It is a bold move on his part but it appears as though the New York Rangers are ready to play ball.
Meanwhile, the Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings last night by a score of 4-1. Shesterkin had himself a solid outing and overall, he was a huge headache for Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde. In fact, Shesterkin was so good that Lalonde couldn't help but praise him after the game.
'He's special. I can see why he turned down the $88 million. Good agent.'
While Shesterkin is special, the Rangers will need to go out and win a Stanley Cup if they really want that salary to be justified. Until then, some fans will continue to believe that $11 million is entirely too steep, especially if you don't have any forwards or D-men making that kind of dough.