Rangers, Shesterkin Agree to Four-Year Extension
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It's a good day to be an RFA goalie.
Mere hours after the Philadelphia Flyers locked up Carter Hart for the next three years, the New York Rangers backed up the BRINKS truck for their own goalie of the future, agreeing to terms with Igor Shesterkin on a four-year extension worth an average annual value of $5.65 million.
According to DailyFaceOff's Frak Seravalli, the deal, worth a total of $22.666 million, is the largest second contract in both cap hit and total dollars ever given to a goaltender.
And for good reason: Shesterkin is quite the talent.
The 25-year-old endured his first full NHL season in 2021, a tough task given the complications posed by COVID-19, nonetheless putting up an impressive .914 save percentage and 7.9 goals-saved-above-average in 35 games while ultimately finishing 5th in the Calder Trophy voting.
Together, Shesterkin and teammate Alexander Georgiev form one of the league's more lethal young goaltending tandems, providing the Rangers with stability in net for years to come.
At four years in length, this deal also buys the Rangers two RFA years, and, more importantly, two UFA years of Shesterkin's that they hope will come in at well below market rate as the Moscow-native gets better and better.
One of hockey's most exciting young teams just locked in perhaps their most important piece for the foreseeable future. Rangers fans have no choice but to be thrilled.
