NHL Rumors: An Interesting Situation as Igor Shesterkin Tries to Reset the Goalie Market

TSN: Pierre LeBrun on with Jay Onrait talking about how fascinating the Igor Shesterkin – New York Rangers situation is. Shesterkin is going to get paid and become the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history, but how high are the Rangers willing to go?

** NHLRumors.com transcription

“This Skesterkin negotiation is one of the most fascinating in years for me. And you know, I delved into my piece in The Athletic and the reason is, the goaltending position has been under duress financially, and in some ways philosophically, from NHL front offices over the last several years.

You know, it started with the sport science of you know, number one goalie, you shouldn’t play more than 55 or 58 games, right? And now there’s more of a sharing of the net. And then there’s a school of thought from a lot of front offices that say that the goaltending position in today’s game is the most difficult to predict, a repeatable outcome. A repeatable performance. That the goalie performances come in and out, and so you shouldn’t allocate quite as many cap dollars to that position.

Who has more leverage: Jeremy Swayman or the Boston Bruins?

And listen, you can certainly make an argument for a lot of those things, but Igor Skesterkin and his agents are saying .928 career playoff state percentage, 28 years old, UFA in a year, whatever. They’re going for it, and they’re going to get it. And the question is whether they’re going to get it with the Rangers or elsewhere.

But there’s no doubt in my mind he is going to be a double-digit paid goalie. There hasn’t been one since Sergei Bobrovsky got his $10 million a year. Carey Price has the all-time record at 10 and a half million a year.

And the Rangers have communicated, our understanding is to Skesterkin and his camp that they’re willing to pay more than that 10 and a half million for Carey Price.

So why isn’t it done as we speak? And I can tell you that I checked in with it again, you know, on Wednesday evening, and it was status quo in that negotiation.

So what’s the number that ends this in terms of getting an extension in front of the, what most people believe is the best goalie in the world? Is it 11 and a half (million)? Is it 12? Is it 12 and a half? Is it more and at what point do the Rangers think it’s just too much?

Jeremy Swayman and Igor Shesterkin Could Finally Get NHL Goalie Their Fair Share

Hard to say. But it’s fascinating because this isn’t just about the New York Rangers and their superstar goalie, I think it’s about the goalie position. In general, it’s the goalies, I think it’s historic in trying to put the goalies back on track financially.”