Igor Shesterkin Reportedly Rejects the Biggest Contract in NHL History
New York Rangers Igor Shesterkin was set to become the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history, however, he rejected the offer leading to speculation on his future.
With news of Jeremy Swayman's contract extension, there are a couple of goaltenders who are coming up at the end of their deals and teams are looking to secure their netminders for the next few years and could be scrambling to sign players in the hopes they don't walk away from the team during free agency. One of those goaltenders just said no to being the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history.
According to NHL Insider Kevin Weekes on X, Igor Shesterkin has reportedly rejected an 8-year, $88M contract from the New York Rangers, which would have seen him the richest goalie in the league:
Shesterkin's rejection of such a large offer is puzzling; the Rangers can offer Shesterkin that extra year of contract time as opposed to teams in free agency. He would be higher than Stanley Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky, Ilya Sorokin, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price; all players who are on the level or above Shesterkin's skillset. There is no doubt he's one of the top goalies, but it's a question as to what Shesterkin wants to accomplish.
Does Shesterkin want out of New York?
With him rejecting this offer, one has to question the motives behind the decision. New York isn't a rebuilding team, they aren't struggling, and many insiders and analysts predict they will have a good regular season and a solid playoff run.
The roster is stacked with names like Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Alexis Lafreniere, Adam Fox, and Kaapo Kakko, and are poised to be a top contender in the Metropolitan Division.
So what's the deal? No one knows for certain as to why Shesterkin wouldn't re-sign but one possible motive is the pressure of playing in such a high-stakes city. Shesterkin is relied on to perform under the scrutiny of New York media, arguably the equivalent to Toronto media in terms of their tenacity; a tough task for any player let alone the one between the pipes.
He may be feeling the pressure of not winning yet and wants to take this season to see if the weight of the Big Apple is too much and he wants to head for quieter pastures.
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