Western team intensifying efforts to secure Rangers' Vezina trophy winner

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.

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.