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The New York Rangers and superstar goaltender, Igor Shesterkin could try to emulate New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson’s decision to sign a lower-money extension to help the franchise build a stronger roster in the future.
This move would provide the Rangers with increased financial flexibility to build a stronger team. Both Brunson and Shesterkin play for New York-based franchises owned by James Dolan, but it’s unknown if the goalie will give Dolan a hometown discount.
Brunson already did, however, as he accepted a four-year, $156.5 million extension. Consequently, Brunson passed on a potential $269.1 million maximum contract had he waited a year to sign the extension.
Shesterkin is as much of a superstar as Brunson and could sign one of the largest and bulkier contracts in NHL history. The Russian, however, could seek a record-setting deal with an annual value of up to $12 million, according to a June 2 report by Mollie Walker of The New York Post.
Brunson’s Extension Details and Impact on Knicks’ Future
Returning to Brunson’s extension, it’s worth $156.5 million over four seasons and kicks in before the 2025-26 season. Brunson left $113 million on the table to give the Knicks more financial room.
Moreover, executives around the league believe more players could follow Brunson’s reasoning in the future and sign lower-money deals to help their franchises, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
“As salaries continue to grow ahead of the league’s $76 billion television deal that kicks in for the 2025-26 season, league executives in Vegas have posited that some players could follow Brunson’s lead to help their teams navigate the restrictions of the new CBA,” Bontemps reported on July 18.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke down Brunson’s deal once it became official.
“The repercussions of Brunson choosing the four-year, $156.5M max deal over the five-year, $269M deal in 2025 are massive for the Knicks’ ability to keep this team together – and keep making roster moves to close the gap on a championship,” Wojnarowski wrote on X on July 12.
“The deal — which will cost Brunson $37.1M over the next three years — comes with a fourth-year player option, [Brunson’s agent Sam] Rose said, and that would set up Brunson to recoup the rest of the $113M on a four-year, $323M extension in 2028 or a new five year, $418M deal in 2029,” Wojnarowski reported.
According to Wojnarowski, Brunson arrived at his decision after studying other league-altering extensions signed by other superstars.
“Brunson’s study of championship organizations and franchise stars — Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Derek Jeter New York Yankees — gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams the best chances at sustainable title runs,” Wojnarowski reported.
Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin’s Projected New Contract
Shesterkin is expected to seek a record-setting contract extension, possibly with an annual value of up to $12 million, according to multiple reports.
If the Russian goalie ends up signing such a hefty deal, it would surpass the current highest AAV for NHL goalies, with Carey Price at $10.5 million, Sergei Bobrovsky at $10 million, and Andrei Vasilevskiy at $9.5 million.
“Now that their season is over, the New York Rangers will soon begin formal contract discussions with Igor Shesterkin’s camp on an extension,” David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period wrote on June 3. “He has one year remaining on his current contract and projects to be the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history.”
According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, appearing on the Forever Blueshirts podcast on July 10, Shesterkin’s representatives are reportedly aiming for a contract that would take up 14 percent of the projected $92 million salary cap in 2025-26 for an AAV of around $12.9 million.
That contract would make Shesterkin the second-highest-paid player–not just goalie–in the NHL, behind only Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs at $13.25 million AAV.
Shesterkin, for what’s worth, is coming off a sublime season in which he put up a .926 save percentage and allowed 2.34 goals against on average. He also faced 524 shots over 16 postseason games and saved 485, leading to 13.1 goals saved above expected according to MoneyPuck.
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