The New York Rangers front office has been busy lately. They traded away Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks and signed a contract extension with Igor Shesterkin. According to the best pay per head solutions, Shesterkin signed an eight-year contract worth $92 million.
His cap hit is projected to be $11.5 million beginning with the following season. The following offseason marked Shesterkin’s opportunity to become a UFA. Nevertheless, the Rangers have ensured the continued presence of their franchise goalkeeper for an extended period by negotiating this new agreement.
There has never been a more lucrative contract for an NHL goalkeeper than Shesterkin signed. Hitherto, the largest goaltender contract in NHL annals belonged to Carey Price, who signed an eight-year, $84 million deal. Upon completing his new agreement, Shesterkin will receive $8 million more than he did before.
Igor Shesterkin Signed a Contract Extension
In 18 appearances this season, the 28-year-old Shesterkin has posted the following statistics: 8-9-1 record, .908 save percentage, and a 3.05 goals-against average for the Rangers. According to bookie software experts, the redshirt freshman has lost all five starts since being selected in the 2014 fourth round. With a 2.58 GAA and a.913 SP, Shesterkin had an impressive record of 36-17-2 last season. His career stats include 231 games played, 143 wins, 68 losses, 2.48 goals against average, .920 save percentage, and 16 shutouts.
Although the Rangers have accomplished a great deal by extending Shesterkin’s contract, they may not have stopped making measures to get their captain to leave them after that.
Next Moves for the Rangers
While the Rangers did get $8 million in cap relief by moving for Trouba, they also exposed a vulnerability in their defense. The current roster includes Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Adam Fox, Braden Schneider, Victor Mancini, and Zachary Jones on defense.
The reason is that they may try to acquire a second defenseman before the March 7 NHL trade deadline. Several famous defensemen this season have been the subject of rumors. These include David Savard of the Montreal Canadiens, Marcus Pettersson of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Cody Ceci of the San Jose Sharks, Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers. With a more minor financial cost than their now-former captain’s deal, the Rangers would get a good lift by adding any of these five.
According to bookie PPH experts, the Rangers must acquire a seasoned veteran to bolster their defense after dealing for Trouba. Importing a depth defenseman at a lower price point may still be beneficial. Last season, the Rangers cleared a lot of salary cap room with the trade of Mark Messier and NHL Leadership Award winner Bo Horvat. The Blueshirts have shown they are prepared to make roster moves, including threatening to place players on waivers again, so dealing for another player is not out of the question.
Extra salary cap flexibility would allow the Rangers to reinvest and maybe sign a star player.
No Other Moves
Even though the Rangers are the subject of much conjecture, they may opt to do nothing. They may finally get their act together after trading away their captain, a decision that changed the course of their franchise.
Despite their recent struggles, the Rangers still boast an impressive squad of talented players. However, if their stars regain their early-season form and start performing at a high level, they may be more cautious with their roster decisions in the future.
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