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New York Rangers best value contracts for the 2022-23 season

By Conor Power

Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers (C) celebrates , joined by Nils Lundkvist and Barclay Goodrow . (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers (C) celebrates , joined by Nils Lundkvist and Barclay Goodrow . (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – JUNE 05: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers makes a save during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on June 05, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – JUNE 05: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers makes a save during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on June 05, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /

Igor Shesterkin

Remember how I said there are no wrong answers? Not having Igor Shesterkin on your list makes it wrong. That’s the only rule. Igor is coming off one of the best seasons any goaltender in NHL history has ever had. He was a Hart Trophy finalist for league MVP and won the Vezina as the league’s best netminder and it wasn’t even close. There’s not a world where you can justify not having Shesterkin in here.

Shesterkin is coming off a season where his cartoon-level stats were just head and shoulders above everyone else in the NHL. His 2.07 goals against average and his .935 save percentage are just ridiculous stats to say out loud. Shesterkin stopped 93.5% of the shots he faced. That’s beyond ridiculous. With the Russian backstopping this Rangers team, they’re a strong outfit.

Now, the best part about Shesterkin is that the New York Rangers pay just $5,666,667 against the cap for his services. A Vezina-winning netminder being paid less than $6 million against the cap is a small piece of genius from the Rangers front office. It’s not just a one-year thing either. Shesterkin’s deal runs for the next three seasons. It gives the Rangers a strong netminder through this window to push for the Stanley Cup.

This contract is up there for the best in the league. Shesterkin is one of, if not, the best shot-stoppers in the league. The flexibility the Rangers have after signing a star netminder to just under $6 million against the cap could be the difference between being able to add a rental at the deadline that pushes the team over the top in their chase to capture the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in Franchise history.

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