On the eve of the Rangers' season opener, rumors spread that the Rangers had offered Igor Shesterkin a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history, but he rejected it.
October 9 has served as a somewhat lenient deadline before negotiations are seen as an unwelcome disruption, and both sides have apparently been urging them to do so in recent days.
But ESPN's Kevin Weeks' report that an eight-year, $88 million offer had been made the day before the season started added an interesting element to the situation.
Industry sources say Shesterkin's camp is unhappy with the leak, which was apparently intended to put pressure on Shesterkin. The reported figures, including the $11 million annual average, have not been confirmed by the Post.
There's no reason to believe the discussion won't continue past Wednesday's season opener in Pittsburgh. Shesterkin remains unsigned despite offers, but there's no need to panic.
For comfort, look no further than the club less than 350 miles north.
Jeremy Swayman missed Bruins training camp before Boston general manager Cam Neely came out and said he had a $64 million reason to play, but this In response, Swayman's agent, Louis Gross, issued a statement saying that no such offer had been made. and expressed disappointment. Rumors surfaced that Swayman was mulling asking for a trade.
Less than a week later, Swayman signed an eight-year, $66 million contract with the Bruins.
If Swayman and his agent are trying to reset the goalie market, Shesterkin and his camp are trying to redefine it.
If the Rangers make the $88 million offer, Shesterkin will earn $11 million a year until he turns 36. That's $500,000 more per year and $4 million more in total than Canadian Carey Price made almost a decade ago. He became the first goaltender to win the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy and Ted Lindsay Trophy in the same year since Dominik Hasek in 1998.
That would account for 11.9% of next season's projected cap hit of $92 million.
Setting contract records and new standards for goaltenders was always expected of Shesterkin. His .921 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average rank second in the NHL among goalies with 150 or more goals since entering the league in 2019-20. exterior.
While being the highest-paid Ranger may not be the focus, the goaltender who wins the 2022 Vezina Trophy may feel entitled to the title.
It's not a far-fetched idea that the best and most important players get paid the most. The Rangers have never been shy about giving much of the credit to Shesterkin for their success in net, but why is Shesterkin afraid to ask for what he feels he's worth?
To meet that requirement, president and general manager Chris Drury would have to offer at least $11.7 million, which is only $57,143 more than Artemi Panarin's annual salary.
For those doing the math at home, that's a cap of 12.9 percent. For comparison, Panarin was carrying 14.29 percent of the cap at the start of his seven-year, $81.5 million contract.
This is where Shesterkin's leap of faith begins.
Were some of you upset about the offer leaking into his contract year? Judge Aaron. Perhaps Shesterkin can emulate the Yankees captain who turned down an eight-year, $230.5 million contract extension from the Yankees two years ago and finished a historic season worthy of the American League MVP.
The judges suddenly had an additional $129.5 million to confirm why betting on him was the right thing to do.
I imagine Shesterkin's prize money would have jumped to $230.5 million, but the fact that the NHL is not financially comparable to other professional sports leagues is a topic for another day. We're talking $88 million here, which is $8 million shy of the $12 million average annual value the Post identified as Shesterkin's target AAV the day after the 2023-24 season.
The $1 million annual difference isn't worth losing a franchise goaltender, but it sets a unique scene for New York ahead of a season that's already begun in a pressure cooker.
Shesterkin will now have to play like a $12 million goaltender. He has to fulfill this price tag he has set for himself.
Even if you want to make the argument that Shesterkin will be a high-profile presence since making his NHL debut on January 7, 2020, it's because the Rangers rely more on their No. 1 goaltender than his overall stats. There is a high possibility that it will be drawn out because of the fact that it is there. He's working towards this important new contract and thinking about the takeaways from this NHL season.
Given how much influence Shesterkin already had in these negotiations, it could decline or skyrocket from here. A slow start, a rough patch, or a major injury, these three things are never outside of the realm of possibility, but they can only work against him.
Shesterkin may also experience power outages, causing prices to rise further.
It all starts Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena. There, Shesterkin's old friends and Penguins fans will no doubt be wishing him luck for the upcoming season.
