Western team intensifying efforts to secure Rangers' Vezina trophy winner
Photo credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is among the NHL's best goalies and one western team is actively seeking to acquire him.
It has come to light in the last few days that Igor Shesterkin, the star goaltender that the New York Rangers are trying to sign, has thus far rejected the greatest NHL contract offer ever made to a goaltender.
It seems like their talks have reached a dead end because of all of this uncertainty, and although an extension might not be possible anytime soon, the team has not yet indicated that they are prepared to trade their former Vezina Trophy winner.
As the salary cap rises, he is the most recent of several NHL goalies to fight for higher pay. Shesterkin is the most valuable player on the Rangers most of the time, so why should we be surprised if he wants a contract that reflects that in terms of cap percentage?
The Los Angeles Kings have emerged as a team that genuinely wants to trade for the superstar Russian, but that hasn't stopped other teams from putting together significant trade offers either.
Text from a source..." The Kings are working up a MEGA trade offer to the NY Rangers for Igor, They have dealt with goaltending issues, and they have been EXTREMELY open with their desire for Shesterkin....they would put an 8-year max extension on his plate.. Not calling this collusion, since teams talk to player agents in common with other team's players often and Shesterkin turning down the mega offer two days back is a good indication he knows there are teams out there who would go higher..."
According to Eklund of Hockey Buzz, the Kings are among the few teams that will start making a strong push for Shesterkin if things in New York don't improve. Since No. 31 will become a free agent at the end of the current campaign, the Rangers might find that this is the best course of action if a deal can't be reached. Few goaltenders in the NHL have performed as well as Shesterkin during his stellar 136-59-17 career record in net for New York, with a 2.42 GAA and a .921 save percentage during that time.
There's nothing imminent with Shesterkin in New York as of yet, either in terms of a trade or a contract, but expect the Kings to start listening if a deal can't be worked out quickly, given their amazing young prospects in what could be a blockbuster haul for the Rangers.
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