The New York Rangers and Igor Shesterkin are making goaltender history.
The team announced that it signed its No. 1 netminder to an eight-year deal worth $92 million on Friday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman confirmed.
The deal makes him the league’s highest-paid goalie, with an AAV of $11.5 million. As Friedman reports, Shesterkin will receiving $85 million in signing bonuses and that he left money on the table to get a deal done.
ESPN's Kevin Weekes and Emily Kaplan first reported the deal.
Shesterkin has been a consistent game-changer between the pipes for the Rangers since he debuted in the league in 2020-21. In four full seasons as New York’s starter, his save percentage has never dipped below .913.
He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender in 2021-22, when he had a .935 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average, with 36 wins and six shutouts in 53 games. He was nominated for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, but lost to winner Auston Matthews.
The 28-year-old has had a steady year despite the Rangers' struggles, logging an 8-9-1 record with a 3.05 GAA and .908 save percentage. His GAA is the worst mark of his six-year career.
Shesterkin was selected in the fourth round, 118th overall, by the Rangers in the 2014 NHL Draft.
The Rangers had a busy Friday, as the team dealt captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for defenceman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. earlier in the day.
New York just came off a five-game losing streak and is 1-6 in their last seven. They have tumbled to fourth place in the Metropolitan division with a 13-10-1 record.
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