What's next for Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers after Jeremy Swayman's stalemate is over

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Joshua Deeds
October 6, 2024 (7:09 PM)

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Now that Jeremy Swayman's new contract has been finalized with the Boston Bruins, could Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers intensify negotiations to get a deal done?

Swayman would end his holdout for a $66 Million dollar contract, with an AAV of $8.25 Million.

Shesterkin will be a UFA at the end of the 2024-2025 season and has been stated to be in the Ranger's long-term plans. The complications though are as follows, Shesterkin refuses to discuss a deal while the season is ongoing.

This means, that on October 9th against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team won't be able to discuss a contract with him until after April, or June depending upon how far this group goes.

Shesterkin and his agent wanted to wait and see how Swayman's deal would reset the market before they would negotiate his own.

Shesterkin could come into 2025-2026 being the highest-paid goalie in the NHL surpassing Carey Price's $10.5 Million AAV. That wouldn't change despite Swayman's signing on Sunday.

Shesterkin's next contract will indeed have Swayman's resume to reference, as he got a sizable raise while accomplishing less than he has with the Rangers. The New York Islanders' own Ilya Sorokin, points to Swayman's comparable and could be a sign of how the goalie market is shaping up.

«I love the organization, I love the team, I love the fans,» Shesterkin told reporters. «So, of course, it would be great to stay here. But you never know what can happen.»

So now that Swayman has received a sizable raise, it seems likely that Shesterkin's camp will continue to angle for a contract with a $12 Million AAV.

And now, they have four days to sign the top goalie in the NHL.

While Shesterkin has stated that he hopes to remain a Rangers' in the future, he's open to exploring free agency and could have plenty of buyers in the 2025 post-season should GM Chris Drury fail to sign him.

Shesterkin has been the unquestioned No. 1 goalie in New York for four seasons, playing 53+ games in each of the past three after the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign. He's won 36 or more games in each of the past three seasons and is 135-59-17 with a 2.43 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in his career. He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie in 2021-22 and has led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three seasons.

With Shesterkin backstopping the Rangers ton consistent post-season runs and proving that he is the legitimate #1 in New York, the team will have to consider whether he's worth more than Carey Price for possibly longer-term or not.

Given how reliable he has been in the net it seems like he should get close to what he's asked for.

Source: Forever Blue Shirts
What's next for Rangers, Igor Shesterkin after big Jeremy Swayman contract with Bruins