In the span of 48 hours last weekend, Igor Shesterkin became the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history and also the father of two children.
The Russian star netminder put pen to paper for the first time Saturday on a hefty eight-year, $92 million contract extension with the Blueshirts, with an average annual value of $11.5 million.
And on Sunday, Shesterkin, his wife Anna Butusova, and their eldest son Timofey welcomed a baby girl into their family.
While Shesterkin shared his immense joy, he also admitted he was relieved to have done it.
But his most notable expression was directed at Rangers fans.
“I’m going to do my best and try to bring the Cup back to New York,” he said. “I would like to thank all the Rangers fans. They support us passionately and we will play for them and we will play for our families.”
Officials say Shesterkin has a full no-transfer clause in his new contract, which surpasses Canadiens goaltender Carey Price's record $10.5 million.
The majority of that amount will be paid as a signing bonus ($85 million) on an accelerated structure.
Shesterkin could have been acquired more on the open market, but the speculation is that the Rangers were able to pull it off and lock in their franchise goalie until the 2032-33 season, when he will be 37 years old.
Shesterkin has been the Rangers' best player since making his NHL debut midway through the 2019-20 season, which was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a career save percentage of .920 and a 2.47 goals-against average.
Shesterkin has led the Blueshirts to losses in a few games this season, but he hasn't been his otherworldly self in the past few games before starting Monday night's game against the Blackhawks.
Over the past three games, they have allowed 84 shots and conceded nine points.
“To be honest, all this noise was pretty hard to take in,” Shesterkin said. “Now that everything has happened and it's all over, I can get ready and focus for the game. Sometimes it's not hard. Sometimes it's hard. You may never know, but… It was sometimes quite difficult, especially after a bad game.
“You're just about to go there [the] The next day it follows you and everyone talks about it. ”
Shesterkin, 28, ranked eighth in the NHL in save percentage (.908) among goalies with at least 19 starts before Monday's game. A GAA of 2.99 also ranks 14th in the league.
After Shesterkin turned down an eight-year, $11 million contract on the eve of Opening Day, perhaps the Rangers and Shesterkin's camp realized that's what was at stake for their star goaltender as the 2024-25 season progressed. Probably.
Now, Shesterkin can take his mind off the business side of the game and just play.
The offseason got off to a rocky start for the Rangers for a variety of reasons. The Rangers are in the midst of finding stability following a five-game losing streak until Friday's departure of captain Jacob Trouba.
So what does Shesterkin think about the Rangers' future?
“The future is bright, isn't it?” he said. “I know that. We'll do our best.”
