Igor Shesterkin Pulled From Game For The First Time In Over A Year; Is Contract Talk Distracting Him?

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Chris Gerics
November 7, 2024 (9:33 PM)

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The New York Rangers will make Igor Shesterkin the highest-paid goalie after recent report, but is it getting to him mentally? His performance against Buffalo might signal yes.

The New York Rangers will eventually lock up their future goaltender and the second-coming of Henrik Lundquist, by signing Igor Shesterkin to a record-breaking contract extension probably somewhere in the region of $11.25-12M per season. It's a deal that will not only change Shesterkin's life but the entire landscape of the NHL.

However, all this talk of contracts and breaking records may have gotten to Shesterkin mentally. During Thursday's game against the Buffalo Sabres, Shesterkin was pulled after Buffalo put up five goals on only 12 shots:

It's quite a startling thing to see, given how strong Shesterkin has been. New York wasted no time in removing him from the game in favor of Jonathan Quick. What's insane about this whole situation is that this was the first time Shesterkin had been pulled in over a year:

It's a testament to how dominant Shesterkin has been over the past three seasons, and with how often he plays and is relied upon, and no matter how many times teams pepper him with shots: He never falters. He is only human though, and a game like this was bound to happen, it just hurts more that it's against the lowly Sabres.

With speculation around when Shesterkin will re-sign, given that the Rangers netminder recently turned down a huge contract offer to focus more on the season; New York hasn't backed down, and they have decided to do whatever is necessary to keep him in the Big Apple long-term, and are just waiting for the perfect time to strike though may wanna wait until he clears his head from this debacle.

In the middle of another fantastic season, coming into Thursday's game Shesterkin is 6-2-1 with a 2.12 GAA and .933 SV%, proving he is the gold standard when it comes to goaltending in the past several years. He's been like Henrik Lundquist 2.0 and will perhaps even surpass the legendary Rangers netminder. After breaking out in 2021 he has a 141-61-18 record with a 2.42 GAA and .921 SV%; incredible numbers for someone who only recently found himself the last three seasons.

Other goaltenders around the league as well know how elite Shesterkin is, and would not be surprised to see him be the highest-paid goaltender in history. They can also relate to Shesterkin's terrible night, as every NHL goalie has felt the sting of a tough night, so if Shesterkin can take solace in anything, it's that he's not alone when it comes to these games: It just happens.

It was a rough night for Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers, but it's nothing they should be concerned about. Though they may wanna put the contract talk on the backburner for now, and wait until Shesterkin's focus is not on winning, but on making bank.