Per Pierre LeBrun, there is a big update on the Igor Shesterkin contract negotiations with the Rangers. Notably, the Rangers are apparently willing to go over Carey Price’s $10.5 million salary, which is a big step towards getting a deal locked up before the Shesterkin (camp)-imposed October 9 deadline to have a contract extension in place.
Knowing Shesterkin’s initial ask was in the $12 million range, and the above willingness to go over $10.5 million, this signals to me that a deal is close and will get done before that deadline. At these salary ranges, we are talking a 10% difference or less, which is close. Taking the halfway point, that’s $11.25 million per season.
However, and there’s always a “but” with these, term may become the issue. We saw with Ryan Lindgren that term risk is something Chris Drury has learned to avoid, and Shesterkin is no different. Shesterkin will be 29 this season, so Year 1 of his new deal will be his age-30 season. He doesn’t have the mileage on his body that others have at this age, but Father Time comes for us all.
If the Igor Shesterkin contract comes in at 6 years and $11.5 million, that’s fine by me. I’d rather pay a higher cap hit for a shorter term. Jacob Trouba’s cap hit likely comes off the books next season, and there’s a chance Lindgren’s does as well. There’s room to make that cap hit work without losing other big pieces of the core.
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