10/25/24 | Kevin Weekes said on NHL Network that he thinks that if the Rangers offer Shesterkin something around $11.5 million will get the deal done.
10/12/24 | Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts on Hockey Night in Canada that the Rangers believe that they can still sign Shesterkin to an extension during the season if they are able to move to the number he wants.
10/8/24 | 6:37PM: Nick Kypreos said on his radio show that he heard that this “should get settled” around $11.25 million to $11.5 million.
6:32PM: Weekes said on NHL Network that he believes the Rangers and Shesterkin will find a compromise around $11.5 million per season.
6:23PM: Chris Johnston said on TSN that Shesterkin may not be insisting on eight years and that he may be willing to sign a shorter-term deal if the Rangers were to meet the AAV he wants.”
12:12PM: Pierre LeBrun said on TSN, “having made a few calls on this, what I can tell you is that while I can’t confirm the exact number that the Rangers offered, I certainly can confirm that New York put on the table, the largest goalie contract in NHL history. Obviously that his not led to a signature. It’s important to note, as we talked about a couple of weeks ago, there is this unofficial deadline that Shesterkin may not want to negotiate during the season. The dialogue continues. This isn’t a situation where the Rangers made an offer, Shesterkin said no and that is it, they aren’t talking. They continue to go back and forth.”
10:40AM: Former Rangers goalie and ESPN Analyst Kevin Weekes tweets that Igor Shesterkin has turned down an eight-year deal worth a record setting $11 million cap hit for a goalie.
It’s been reported that Shesterkin wants a cap hit of $12 million and/or to at least beat Artemi Panarin’s team high cap hit of $11.6 million.
Shesterkin has reportedly said that he will not negotiate during the season if a contract extension isn’t signed by Opening Night.
Adam Rotter: I’m guessing that it is not a coincidence that this news comes out right before Shesterkin’s self-imposed deadline. It shows, at least from the Rangers side, that they are willing to make Shesterkin the highest paid goalie in NHL history and probably attempts to shift the pressure from the team to the player.
The Bruins, albeit more publicly and directly, did something similar last week with Jeremy Swayman in saying that he had $64 million reasons to sign…and then on Sunday he signed for $66 million. It’s not the same exact circumstances as Swayman is younger, less experienced and still an RFA deal to start and Shesterkin is purely a UFA next summer, but it was a protracted goalie negotiation that spilled out publicly. Chris Drury didn’t come right out publicly and say this like Cam Neely did, but the intent of the news coming out seems similar.
I don’t know if that shift in pressure will work because ultimately the Rangers have no other choice but to give Shesterkin most of what he wants. They have no alternative and Shesterkin and his agents know that. It’ll get done. Hopefully they can bridge the gap by tomorrow and just eliminate this as a distraction or maybe he comes onto the ice on Saturday for the home opener after just signing his name to a new contract.