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NHL Rumors: Elliotte Friedman drops hint on Igor Shesterkin's next Rangers contract
The New York Rangers and netminder Igor Shesterkin don't have a contract in place beyond this season. If the two sides don't agree, Shesterkin will hit free agency at the end of this season. Given a looming offseason that could see him part ways with the franchise, the Rangers seem eager to figure out a deal.
Before the 2024-25 season, Shesterkin turned down an eight-year, $88 million deal that would make him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history. This has led to speculation among the NHL community, and talk regarding what the future could look like for the SKA Saint Petersburg product.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman speculated Shesterkin's new contract on the latest episode of his "32 Thoughts" podcast:
"I don't know if they're there, but I'm betting they started around there. I think the number that they initially put with their stake in the ground is around 12, 12-and-a-half. Now that's my guess, but I think I'm not too wrong."
In a separate piece, Friedman wrote that given Artemi Panarin's contract and the percentage of cap space that his contract takes up, Shesterkin could be looking for a 12.58 million per year contract, making him the highest-paid player on the team.
Igor Shesterkin shuts down questions regarding his contract while speaking with media members post-game
On Wednesday, Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers picked up a massive 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener. The win marked the first shutout of the year for Shesterkin, who stopped all 31 shots that came his way.
Chris Kreider flirted with a hat trick with two goals in five shots on goal. Alexis Lafreniere, Sam Carrick, Filip Chyil and Vincent Trocheck also scored.
Following the game, Shesterkin clarified he had no interest in discussing anything but the team's win. While speaking to media members he shot down talk about his contract negotiations:
“I don’t want to talk about my contract. If you want, we can talk about our team. We played a really good game today. If you have other questions, we can talk about (Victor) Mancini, (Alexis Lafrenière's) goal, anything you want."
The team will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Utah Hockey Club at home in a game that could see them extend their record to 2-0 to start the season as they look to win the Stanley Cup.
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