September 24, 2024 | 7:17pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

RANGERS, SHESTERKIN TRYING TO FINALIZE NEW DEAL

Rangers GM Chris Drury

The New York Rangers are hammering away at a contract extension with superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin and his agents.

According to multiple reports earlier today, the Rangers and Shesterkin are working forwards a long-term, either-year extension that will make the netminder the highest paid goaltender in NHL history.

Carey Price is still under contract with the Montreal Canadiens through the end of the 2025-26 season and owns a $10.5 million cap hit, even though he is collecting $5.5 million in actual salary this season and next.

Shesterkin’s next deal is expected to exceed Price’s $10.5 million AAV and start in at $11 million per season, at least, though some reports suggest that number could jump over $12 million per year.

“What we’re finding out here is that Shesterkin’s camp is looking to reset the goalie market and that is notable. A lot of people around the league are looking at this negotiation very closely, because recent top goalie contracts have not been to that level,” TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said this evening on Insider Trading. “If you think of [Ilya] Sorokin and [Connor] Hellebuyck and [Juuse] Saros, all under $9 million a year. In fact, Saros the freshest of those three deals at $7.74 million a year. Hellebuyck has won two Vezinas, Shesterkin has won one. Shesterkin’s camp is looking to absolutely blow past those three contracts. The question is, if the Rangers are willing to go north of $10.5 million, and the deal’s not done yet, where will this end up? Is it $11,12, 13 million? We’ll wait and find out. In the meantime, Shesterkin would like to get this done before the regular season starts, or else he will shelve talks is what he’s telling the Rangers.”

With the regular-season officially starting on Oct. 4, the Rangers do not play their first game of the new campaign until Oct. 9 in Pittsburgh. That appears to be the deadline to get a deal done, or else the Rangers and Shesterkin’s camp could wait until the season ends before resuming talks – and at that point, the price tag could increase even more.