The New York Rangers have signed their superstar goaltender Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year extension worth $92 million, and an average annual value (AAV) of $11.5 million.
Shesterkin has now become the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history, topping the $10.5 million AAV that Carey Price was signed to.
Igor Shesterkin 8 x 11.5M with NYR
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 6, 2024
Shesterkin, who is carrying a record of 8-9-0 record and .908 save percentage (SV%) this season, has been one of the best goaltenders over the past few seasons. Over the past four seasons, Shesterkin’s .919 SV% is the second among all goalies. He also ranks second in wins, trailing just Connor Hellebuyck in both categories and ranks fifth with a 2.45 GAA.
The Rangers are having their own trouble this year, and Shesterkin’s stats this season are a significant outlier compared to the rest of his career.
Sheshterkin’s true coming-out party was in the 2021-22 season, where he recorded 36 wins, a .935 SV% and 2.07 GAA. That season, Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender, and finished third in Hart Memorial Trophy voting, being the first goaltender to be top-three since Sergei Bobrovsky in 2016-17.
While Shesterkin’s regular seasons have been fantastic, his postseason play has been even better. In 44 career playoff games, he has a .928 SV% and 2.41 GAA, which has been good enough to be the backbone of the Rangers’ two trips to the Eastern Conference Final in the past three seasons.
The Rangers have a lot of moving pieces in their team over the next few seasons. After the departure of their now-former captain, Jacob Trouba, many trade rumors still surround the team, including names like Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and others. Along with the trade rumors, Artemi Panarin only has one more season left after this one, so there are certainly some major changes that could come to Manhatten.
The one sure-fire thing is that they will have a true superstar-caliber goaltender for eight more seasons. With high standards for the team, they will have a constant in Shesterkin and can trust that he will not only be able to dominate in the regular season, but also be a key piece towards their Stanley Cup hopes.
