The New York Rangers are in the calm before the storm. They luckily have the world’s best goaltender playing for less than $6 million, but that will change after they have to resign Igor Shesterkin after this season concludes.
Numerous reports have indicated that Shesterkin and his team are eyeing a contract worth up to $12 million annually. A contract that size would make him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history. Whatever the final number the Rangers land on is, it’s going to be high. Some may have a hard time accepting that truth, but many believe it’s a price the Blueshirts must pay.
Seravalli believes giving Shesterkin a record-setting contract is a necessary evil
NHL insider Frank Seravalli is predicting that the Rangers will make Shesterkin the highest-paid goaltender in history by handing him a contract worth $11.25 million per season. He notes that this would take up 12 percent of next season’s salary cap, and on a player who will be on the bench for a third of the season.
It’s not an ideal situation, but Seravalli supports it. He says it “is tough to swallow, but a necessary evil.”
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Should the Rangers make Seravalli’s prediction a reality?
Signing Shesterkin at $11.25 million annually isn’t terrible considering he’s aiming for as high as $12 million. Taking up 12 percent of the salary cap would also be rather close in comparison to how the Rangers utilized legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
The main downside is that the Rangers still have a lot of issues that need fixing, and they need as much money as possible to fix them. A weak forward corps and shaky defense have hurt them for years, and it’ll be tough to make major adjustments with $11.25 devoted to a single player.
At the end of the day, the answer is yes- the Rangers should absolutely sign Shesterkin to a contract like Seravalli’s prediction if possible. He’s the backbone of the team, and has proven to be their most successful playoff performer. It’s hard to win a Stanley Cup without solid goaltending, and it’ll be even harder without Shesterkin between the pipes.
