Pressure Higher Than Ever for Rangers Goalie

The pressure on the New York Rangers starting goalie is higher than ever following their recent moves.

Nov 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) is acknowledged as the third star of a win against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

It took months, but the New York Rangers finally signed their star goaltender to a contract extension. Igor Shesterkin is officially locked in to be the Rangers goalie for the next eight seasons with an average annual salary of $11.5 million.

The contract the Rangers signed Shesterkin to is the largest one ever given to an NHL goaltender. After this dragged out negotiations, it became clear that Shesterkin's goal was to earn a large portion of the team's salary cap and reset the market for the goalie position. Mission accomplished for the 28-year-old net minder.

Now that the dust is settling from this massive new contract, the pressure is only rising for Shesterkin and the Rangers. Pressure is on the organization to win their first Stanley Cup since the 1994 season, putting an end to a 30-year wait.

Pressure is even more so on Shesterkin, who shoulders all of the responsibility for the outcome, good or bad. Look at this year for example. The Rangers are in the middle of a nose-dive in the standings and trading their captain, but still Shesterkin is receiving constant criticism. He's having his worst statistical start through his first 18 starts, but the team in front of him is imploding, so nothing falls solely on his play.

But this deal changes that. He's now the highest-paid goalie in the NHL and makes just $100,000 less than MVP candidate Artemi Panarin. When you cost roughly 10% of the team's entire salary cap, the expectation is that you led the team on the ice every night and contest. That expectation is overwhelming to take on, surely, but so is the richest contract an NHL goaltender has ever signed.

That was the easy part for Shesterkin. Now, he must respond to the steep rise in pressure and expectations in order to make this contract worth it for himself and the New York Rangers.

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