5:04PM: Larry Brooks says that it is an eight-year deal worth $11.5 million per season. (NY Post)
4:47PM: The Rangers are signing Igor Shesterkin to an EIGHT-YEAR extension worth between $11.5 million and $12 million dollars. (Weekes)
Shesterkin reportedly turned down an eight-year deal worth $11 million per season.
Adam Rotter: So in matter of just a few hours the Rangers check off their top two priorities for the offseason in finding a way to move on from Jacob Trouba and then making sure that Igor Shesterkin is their goalie for the next eight years. Both were things that were hanging over the season and now Trouba is out and Shesterkin is very much in.
The salary is what it is. It’s high and record setting for a goalie, but stays slightly below Artemi Panarin’s team record of $11.64 million. $11.5 million is a lot, but below what had been rumored to be possibly be something between $12 million and $14 million per season. So in some ways it feels like the Rangers are getting a deal even though Shesterkin is more than doubling his current cap hit. But they had no choice and he deserves it. He’s their best and most important player and the reason that they have had as much success as they have since he became a full-time NHLer. The salary cap is going to continue to rise and Chris Drury seems to have a talent for making money disappear, so the Rangers should still be able to build a competitive team even at this cap hit.