Projecting Rangers Igor Shesterkin's Next Contract

The New York Rangers enter the season with immense pressure. Aside from the defending champions and perhaps the Edmonton Oilers, there is no team with higher expectations. Anything less than a trip to the conference finals will be considered an abject failure.

When you have a franchise goalie like the Rangers do, it's easy to place them into the contender category. Igor Shesterkin is at the apex of his position and he's one of the best players at any position in the NHL today.

The problem facing the Rangers and Shesterkin is that pesky contract. Entering the final season of his current deal, the Russian goaltender will likely reset the market for his position. The Rangers know that, and it's why they reportedly offered him a contract with an average annual value of $11 million. Shesterkin rejected this offer.

So what will it take to sign him to a new contract?

From the Rangers perspective, what more can you offer? The recent comparable contracts are on their side. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark just signed their respective contract extensions and will carry an average annual value $8.25 million. That number is the fourth-highest of all goalies in the NHL. Ullmark has a Vezina Trophy and Swayman is one of the most gifted puck-stoppers in the league.

With Shesterkin not being satisfied with $11 million per season, it leads me to believe that it's not just about becoming the highest-paid goalie in the NHL. If that was the only hold-up, this offer would've sufficed and he'd be a Rangers player for the next eight years.

Taking a look at the team's salary cap situation, there is one other contract on the team that stands out: Artemi Panarin. The superstar forward makes $11.65 million. If I was a betting man, I'd say the hold-up is that Shesterkin wants to be paid the highest salary on the team, and is willing to leave to receive that status elsewhere.

With the negotiations ongoing, the Rangers and Shesterkin are likely to continue this during the regular season. With $11 million annually not sealing the deal, the Rangers will likely have to up their offer to $12 million per year or higher. If they want their franchise goalie to stay with the team for the long-term, they'll have to make him richest goaltender in NHL history and the team's highest-paid player.