Rangers number one goaltender, Igor Shesterkin has signed a historic eight-year, $92 million contract with the New York Rangers.
It is worth an average annual value of $11.5 million per year making him the highest paid goalie in the NHL history. Shesterkin now earns a higher AAV than Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price who had set the previous record at $10.5 million.
The Moscow-native plans to set down roots in New York City because he just welcomed his second child, a baby girl, into his family.
The Rangers selected Shesterkin in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL draft. Since then, in a career with the Rangers which spans the last six seasons, Shesterkin has posted a 144-68-18 record. He won the Vezina trophy for his performance during the 2021-22 season where he went 36-13-4 with a .935 Save Percentage (SV%) and 2.07 Goals Against Average (GAA). So far this season, Shesterkin has a 10-10-1 record to go along with a 2.90 GAA and .911 SV %.
In a recent press conference, the head coach of the New York Rangers Peter Laviolette discussed what it means to have one of the top goaltenders in the league signed to an eight-year extension.
“He’s proven to be one of the top goaltenders and so to take such an important piece on our team and secure that piece for eight years is really reassuring,” Laviolette said. “You think about sports in general, there’s really important positions when it comes to hockey, goaltending’s one of them and we’re fortunate to have one of the better ones.”
If a deal was not reached, Shesterkin would have become a free agent on July 1, 2025. By making a deal, the Rangers avoided getting into a bidding war, which might have raised Shesterkin’s asking price to above $12 million– something that may have been a bridge too far for Rangers general manager Chris Drury.
The Rangers sweetened the deal by giving Shesterkin a full no-movement clause, which means Shesterkin cannot be traded, waived or sent to the minors. He’s a Ranger for the next eight years and the Blueshirt fanbase have to be ecstatic about that.
