At the start of December, it was announced that Igor Shesterkin would be signing a new contract with the New York Rangers. The new deal carries an overall value of $92 million with an AAV of $11.5 million, making Shesterkin the highest paid goalie in NHL history.
The announcement came amidst a tumultuous period of the season for New York, with the Blueshirts trading their captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in an attempt to spark change for a Rangers team that can't seem to win hockey games.
Since his new contract was announced on Dec. 7, Shesterkin has played to a record of 2-6-0, and has found himself pulled from the net on multiple occasions. In these eight appearances, the 29-year-old goaltender has maintained a goals against average of 2.87 and a save percentage of .867.
It would be a mistake to imply that the Rangers struggles are due solely to the play of Shesterkin, but if a team is going to pay their starting goalie $11.5 million per year, a save percentage above .867 is not an unreasonable ask. Rangers fans have echoed this sentiment, trying to reckon with the fact that Shesterkin has stolen wins for the Blueshirts in the past, but that the goaltender has struggled this season.
Igor Shesterkin is just simply not worth $11.5 mil a year
— Evan (@CorePython) December 31, 2024
In his last two starts, the Rangers have looked much improved in front of Shesterkin- outshooting their last two opponents in the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers. Despite their improved play, the Rangers lost both games by scores of 6-2 and 5-3. In their outing against the Lightning, Shesterkin allowed five goals on 14 shots and was pulled from the game, storming down the tunnel to the Rangers locker room.
Pmo - Igor shesterkin 2024 pic.twitter.com/GBatCvCHaU
— Abby 💜 (@KREIDSforher) December 29, 2024
In the Rangers 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday night, Shesterkin allowed four goals on 25 shots, good for a save percentage of .840. The Rangers issues go far deeper than inconsistent goaltending, but it's hard to argue that Shesterkin is playing up to the value of his new contract.
It would be unrealistic to expect a goalie to steal a 2-1 win night in and night out, but asking the highest paid goaltender in NHL history to maintain a save percentage over even .875 is completely fair and the frustrations of Rangers fans are valid.