The Rangers make Igor Shesterkin the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history with an eight-year contract extension

The New York Rangers want to make goaltender Igor Shesterkin the highest-paid player at his position in NHL history. The Rangers and Shesterkin have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $11.5 million, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes and Emily Kaplan report.

At that annual salary, Shesterkin will overtake left wing (and leading scorer) Artemi Panarin as the Rangers’ highest-paid player. Panarin is making $11.6 million per season under a seven-year, $81.5 million contract he agreed to in 2019.

Carey Price was previously the highest-paid goaltender in league history, with an average annual salary of $10.5 million as part of his eight-year, $84 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens signed in 2018.

Shesterkin, 28, is in his sixth season with the Rangers and in the final year of a four-year contract that pays him $5.66 million per year. He and the team have been negotiating since the offseason, trying to negotiate a new deal before Shesterkin becomes a free agent.

He was selected in the team’s fourth round (No. 118 overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft by SKA St. Petersburg of the Russian Continental Hockey League.

This season, Shesterkin has a record of 8-9-1 in 18 games with a goals-against average of 3.05 and a save percentage of .908. For his career, he compiled a record of 143-68-18 with a GAA of 2.48 and a save percentage of .920.

Shesterkin had his best season in 2021-22, where he finished with a 36-13-4 record and led the NHL with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage. He was awarded the Vezina Trophy, given to the league’s best goalkeeper.

The Rangers are currently in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 13-10-1 and 27 points. They are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a percentage point lead over the Philadelphia Flyers and one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

New York just traded defenseman and team captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks. Removing Trouba’s $8 million salary from the payroll may have helped close the deal with Shesterkin.