Any hopes that the New York Rangers would lock up franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin before the start of the 2024-25 season will have to wait, it seems.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported on Tuesday, just one day before the start of the regular season, that the former Vezina Trophy winner has turned down an eight-year, $88 million contract offer from the Blueshirts.
The deal would have made the 28-year-old the richest goaltender in NHL history.
Shesterkin is entering the final season of his current four-year, $22.67 million contract, which has been one of the more significant bargains in the NHL in recent years. In five pro seasons with New York, he is 135-59-17 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average.
He won the Vezina Trophy in 2022 after posting a .935 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average.
No goaltender in NHL history has ever made $11 million annually — Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price currently holds the record with a $10.5 million AAV. However, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported back in June that Shesterkin’s representation is looking for as much as $12 million AAV.
It forecasts some trouble ahead for a Rangers team that still believes its window to contend for a Stanley Cup is firmly open. Should Shesterkin hit the open market, though, they are looking at the possibility of having to replace a franchise netminder.