Star Goalie Hopes to Remain With Rangers

The heart and soul of the New York Rangers wants to stick around for the long haul.

May 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of game five of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is widely considered to be the best goaltender in the league, and he'll be paid as such very soon.

Shesterkin, 28, is etnering the final season of a four-year, $22.67 million deal he signed back in 2021. With a cap hit of just $5.67 million per season, he's arguably the biggest bargain in the league right now, but of course, that won't last much longer.

While the star goalie isn't too concerned about his contract situation right now, he knows he knows he wants to stay with the Blueshirts above all else.

"I have one more year, so I don't care about it," Shesterkin said after practice Friday, per NHL.com. "I love the organization, I love the team, I love the fans. So of course it will be great to stay here, but you never know what can happen."

To no one's surprise, Rangers general manager Chris Drury feels the same.

"I'm not going to get into any private discussions or negotiations with Igor or his agents publicly, but you all know what I think of Igor and what we all think of Igor around here and we certainly hope he's here and a Ranger for a long time," Drury said. "You know how important he is to our team and our organization. We're going to do everything we can to make sure he's here for a long time."

Over the past few years, Shesterkin has been an absolute rock in net and the foundation of the Rangers' success. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, he leads all goalies with at least 100 games played in wins (109), is second in save percentage (.921) and third in goals against average (2.39). He also won the Vezina Trophy and finished third in Hart Trophy voting in 2021-22, when he led the league with a .935 save percentage and 2.05 goals against average.

In the playoffs, Shesterkin's been nothing short of a monster. Over the past three postseasons, he boasts a 23-19 record with a 9.29 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average. He led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024, and quite frankly, they wouldn't have even gotten close to that point without him.

Shesterkin and the Rangers once again look to end their Stanley Cup drought this season, and it could very well be their last great chance with their current core.

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