Igor Shesterkin is playing in a contract year and so far, he deserves every penny that he's demanding.
Through nine games, it’s clear that Igor Shesterkin is putting the New York Rangers in an uncomfortable position.
Going into the season, Shesterkin reportedly rejected an eight-year, $88 million contract, with an annual salary of $11 million.
This would have made Shesterkin the highest paid goalie in NHL history, but it still didn’t thread the needle for him.
The risk that Shesterkin took by rejecting this contract is looking like it will pan out well.
The 28-year-old has been playing at a Vezina Trophy kind of level through the beginning of the year, elevating his play to a higher degree if that was even possible.
He’s posted a 4-2-1 record, 2.43 goals against average and .923 save percentage.
Every game Shesterkin is making these acrobatic saves as he continues to put on a show whenever he’s on the ice.
Shesterkin is keeping the Rangers in some games when the team may not be playing at their best, while he’s been the leading catalyst in many of New York’s victories thus far.
The Rangers can only go as far as Shesterkin takes them and the superstar goalie is continuing to prove that to be true time and time again.
At this point if Shesterkin continues to play at the level he is currently at, the Rangers will have no choice to give in to his demands and pay him over $11 million.
Shesterkin is different compared to any other goalie in the league and it might be time for Chris Drury and the Rangers to realize that.
