Report: Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin turns down massive contract offer.
If the New York Rangers want to secure their top goaltender for the long term, they’ll need to spend significantly. According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, Igor Shesterkin has declined a contract extension offer of $88 million. By rejecting this deal, Shesterkin has opted out of becoming the highest-paid player at his position in NHL history, which would have given him an annual average value of $11 million. It’s also important to note that New York is the only franchise able to offer Shesterkin an eight-year extension.
It’s reasonable to believe that the Rangers will need to offer more than $88 million to secure Shesterkin’s services. This would allow the Russian goalie to surpass Carey Price’s $10.5 million annual average value, which is currently the highest for a goaltender. Shesterkin is in the final season of his four-year, $22.67 million contract, with a cap hit of $5.67 million. According to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker, his camp is looking for a deal exceeding $12 million AAV.
According to The Post, Shesterkin’s primary goal is to become the highest-paid player on the Rangers, rather than the top-paid goalie in the league. Currently, Artemi Panarin holds that title for the Rangers with an annual average value of $11.6 million. On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun reported that Rick Komarow, who represents Shesterkin alongside Max Moliver, declined to comment on the situation when asked.
At the beginning of training camp, Shesterkin expressed his desire to remain in New York. Reports indicate that he would prefer to pause contract discussions until the offseason if no agreement is reached by Wednesday, Oct. 9. “I love the organization, I love the team, I love the fans,” Shesterkin stated, according to USA Today’s Vince Mercogliano. “So, of course, it would be great to stay here, but you never know what can happen.”
