When it comes to the New York Rangers, when it rains, it pours. They dominated the headlines today when they traded Captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks. But that bit of business apparently wasn’t enough for General Manager Chris Drury, because the Rangers just signed star goaltender Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year contract extension. Shesterkin will make $11.5 million per year, which, officially makes him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history.
Igor Shesterkin signs an eight-year extension with #NYR carrying an $11.5M AAV -- a deal that will make him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 6, 2024
First to report: @emilymkaplan and @KevinWeekes.
So, is it worth it?
There are two ways to look at this. On one hand, Igor Shesterkin is, without a doubt, the most talented goaltender in the NHL right now. The Rangers’ fourth-round pick in 2014 has played in 231 NHL games, with a career .920 SV% and a 2.48 GAA. Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22 after posting a .935 SV% and a 2.07 GAA through 53 games played. And he somehow gets even better when the lights are brightest– in 44 career playoff appearances, Shesterkin has a .928 SV% and a 2.41 GAA.
Now for the downside: $92 million is a lot to tie up in goaltending. Depending on how much the NHL’s salary cap rises next season, Shesterkin’s deal is going to take up somewhere between 13% and 11.86% of the Rangers’ allotted cap space. When you add Artemi Panarin’s $11.6 million and Mika Zibanejad’s $8.5 million… that’s a whole lotta money between three players.
So, is it worth it? In short, yes. $11.5 million a year is a hefty investment, especially since that’s just the starting goaltender’s cap hit– but Shesterkin is worth all of that, and maybe more. He’s extraordinarily talented.
This contract extension was one that the Rangers needed to get done. Simply put, the team couldn’t afford to lose Shesterkin. He’s that good, and much of their success is dependent on him. But they’ll certainly have to get creative with their salary cap management going forward if they want to continue their quest for the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup.
