Bruins, Rangers Both Stuck in Contract Negotiations

The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers are both trying to finalize new deals with their star goaltenders.

Sep 24, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save on New York Islanders forward Liam Foudy (47) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Both the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers are in similar territories when it comes to their starting goaltenders. Both Jeremy Swayman of the Bruins and Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers are in need of new contracts, and both players appear set to continue negotiating throughout the upcoming season.

For the Rangers and Bruins, this is about locking up one of their most important players for a long time. Both Swayman and Shesterkin are at the top of their position, and each is looking to reset the market in terms of goalie contracts. With each negotiation currently in a stalemate, it seems now more than ever these contracts are impacting one another.

In a recent press conference, the Bruins' management team made a wild comment about the negotiation status of Swayman's deal. Team president Cam Neely made an off-handed comment that if he were the goaltender, he'd have "64 million reasons" why he would be playing right now. Swayman's agent quickly offered a rebuttal via social media, and now both sides are further entrenched in a negotiation that might take several more months to complete after this setback.

It's possible the Rangers were waiting on Swayman and the Bruins to finalize their deal before coming to terms with Shesterkin. Recently, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that the team is willing to make the Vezina-winning net minder the highest-paid goaltender in league history. That would require Shesterkin to make more than the $10.5 million salary that Carey Price signed for with the Montreal Canadiens in

But without knowing the deal Swayman signs in Boston, they can't know what the richest deal for a goaltender is. Swayman is likely to sign for somewhere between $7 and $10 million annually, meaning Shesterkin would likely command a salary of at least $10.6 - $12 million annually. It seems that while the Rangers and Shesterkin are in a better place than the Bruins and Swayman, Boston is the first domino to fall. Until then, the Rangers and Bruins will be stuck in these contract stalemates with two of the best goaltenders in the NHL.

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