NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers - Source: Imagn — Pittsburgh Penguins' Rickard Rakell unintentionally trips New York Rangers' goalie Igor Shesterkin (Source: Imagn)

Watch: Rickard Rakell's trip on Igor Shesterkin sparks heated moment between the Penguins and Rangers

Modified Dec 07, 2024 05:13 GMT

On Friday, in the New York Rangers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup, Rangers' Igor Shesterkin was tripped behind the net by Pittsburgh's Rickard Rakell.

It happened in the third period with a minute and 22 seconds remaining in the game. The Rangers were leading 4-2, and the tension was palpable in the Penguins camp.

Here's the video of the incident:

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As Rakell skated in speed toward the Rangers net, goalie Shesterkin was standing. Rakell's skates collided with Shesterkin's, and he fell on the ice awkwardly.

Although the hit wasn't intentional, Rangers' D-man Adam Fox quickly charged towards Rakell. Tensions ensued as players from both sides got involved. Penguins star captain Sidney Crosby tried to stop opponents from hitting Rakell. No punches were thrown, but minor pushes and wrestling took place before the referees controlled the situation.

Rakell walked out of the situation without a serious fight and also avoided receiving any penalty for tripping Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers continued to contain the Penguins' offense en route an mpressive 4-2 win.

New York Rangers signed Igor Shesterkin to a $92 million contract

The New York Rangers signed Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year, $92 million contract with an $11.5 million cap hit.

That makes him the NHL's highest-paid goalie and ties him with William Nylander and Erik Karlsson for the league's seventh-highest cap hit next season. Shesterkin joins Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky as the only goalies with $10+ million cap hits.

The news was confirmed by Daily Faceoffs' Frank Seravalli, who tweeted.

"Confirming: #NYR have agreed to terms with Igor Shesterkin on the largest contract for a goaltender in league history - 8 years x $11.5 million = $92 million. First to report: @emilymkaplan and @KevinWeekes ."

Shesterkin was in the final year of his four-year, $5.67 million contract and would have become a free agent this summer. Negotiations were tough, with Shesterkin seeking a significant raise. The Rangers eventually agreed to his terms, but no details about no-move or no-trade clauses have been shared yet.

Despite the Rangers’ struggles this season, Shesterkin has performed well. He holds an 8-9-1 record, a .908 save percentage and one shutout in 18 games. He also ranks seventh in the league with 9.83 goals saved above expected.

Drafted in the fourth round in 2014, Shesterkin debuted in the NHL during the 2019-20 season. He quickly became the Rangers’ starting goalie and won the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22. The contract secures his role as the Rangers' long-term star in net.