{"id":134375,"date":"2024-12-07T14:48:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T07:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134375"},"modified":"2024-12-07T14:48:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T07:48:58","slug":"nhl-contract-grades-igor-shesterkins-8-year-deal-is-risky-for-rangers-but-hes-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134375","title":{"rendered":"NHL contract grades: Igor Shesterkin\u2019s 8-year deal is risky for Rangers, but he\u2019s worth it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/team\/rangers\/\">New York Rangers<\/a> sign goalie <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"LOibjd8d20HPtRSj\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/igor-shesterkin-LOibjd8d20HPtRSj\/\">Igor Shesterkin<\/a> to an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5890691\/2024\/12\/06\/igor-shesterkin-contract-extension-ny-rangers-goalie\/\">eight-year contract extension<\/a> with a $11.5 million AAV.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>Shayna Goldman:<\/strong> Goalie contracts can be the trickiest to navigate because it\u2019s the position most of us know the least about and the one with the most volatility.<\/p>\n<p>Goaltending is unpredictable on a good day, let alone as a goaltender ages. So committing eight years to any goalie can be a big ask. Signing this big of a long-term contract is even more daring.<\/p>\n<p>But with Igor Shesterkin, that can be a bet worth taking because he is the best in the world right now and the Rangers\u2019 Stanley Cup hopes rest on him. His body of work in the regular season has been elite. Even when he has slipped, like during last year\u2019s regular season, he still rebounded to impressive heights before thriving in a playoff environment.<\/p>\n<p>Teams tend to pay their most valuable players a lot \u2014 <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"9SjwQzInyEKRwajO\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/auston-matthews-9SjwQzInyEKRwajO\/\">Auston Matthews<\/a> was signed to a $13.3 million cap hit last year, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"B7ZhabkPk8EZMJkj\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/nathan-mackinnon-B7ZhabkPk8EZMJkj\/\">Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> is at $12.6 million and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"YjAiBpZTVfUGkPFn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/connor-mcdavid-YjAiBpZTVfUGkPFn\/\">Connor McDavid<\/a> is going to push things even further next year. Goaltenders usually don\u2019t reach those heights, and when they do, trouble often follows.<\/p>\n<p>Just look at the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"mQiWzWphdc108Q37\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/sergei-bobrovsky-mQiWzWphdc108Q37\/\">Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> contract that was maligned before he hit his postseason stride in 2023 (and won the Cup in 2024). That was worth 12.3 percent of Florida\u2019s salary cap in Year 1. That\u2019s why contracts such as <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"mWRNu28WFawDEMil\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/connor-hellebuyck-mWRNu28WFawDEMil\/\">Connor Hellebuyck<\/a>\u2019s (seven years at $8.5 million AAV) can be more digestible. But recent shifts in the goalie market do support the idea of someone of Shesterkin\u2019s caliber getting closer to what they\u2019re worth.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/1OdagDHAO1mF6jmaeq7pnx?utm_source=generator&amp;theme=0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"7dJCTEYXEVxtYIqj\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/jeremy-swayman-7dJCTEYXEVxtYIqj\/\">Jeremy Swayman<\/a> was paid like a top-five goalie in October, despite not having the track record of some of the best in the world, such as <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"mvHSTiZs2SuKnYi8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/andrei-vasilevskiy-mvHSTiZs2SuKnYi8\/\">Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a>. He didn\u2019t even have a full year of experience as a true No. 1 goalie when he signed that contract. Age is the other difference between him and Shesterkin. Swayman\u2019s deal covers ages 25 to 33, as compared to Shesterkin\u2019s 29 to 37, which carries a lot more risk.<\/p>\n<p>Swayman and <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"H4ryXXFAy2atKEeK\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/jake-oettinger-H4ryXXFAy2atKEeK\/\">Jake Oettinger<\/a> are reminders of what very good No. 1 goalies are worth. And that adds more support to the idea that those in the next tier \u2014 such as Shesterkin, who came in as the best in this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5750903\/2024\/09\/24\/nhl-best-players-list-2024-2025-season\/\">Player Tiers<\/a> \u2014 are worth a lot more. He is the exception to the rule that goaltenders shouldn\u2019t be paid like a team\u2019s MVP.<\/p>\n<p>If the 2025-26 salary cap rises to the current projected mark of $92.5 million, this contract will be worth 12.4 percent of the Rangers\u2019 cap in Year 1, which is a shade above Henrik Lundqvist\u2019s cap-hit percentage of 12.3 in 2014-15.<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t a question of whether Shesterkin is worth $11.5 million right now; it\u2019s how this deal will age. Long-term deals are risky at any position, especially for goalies, and that\u2019s what lowers this contract grade. But the fact that the Rangers were able to keep the AAV below $12 million gives him a better chance of playing up to this value in those later years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contract grade:<\/strong> B-plus<br \/><strong>Fit grade:<\/strong> A<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>James Mirtle:<\/strong> I\u2019m on the record as not loving big goalie contracts. Far too often, they blow up in the team\u2019s face, especially toward the back end.<\/p>\n<p>For a few reasons, however, Shesterkin is a special case.<\/p>\n<p>1. Over the past four seasons, he has clearly established himself as one of the two best goalies in the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/\">NHL<\/a>, with a decent gap between himself, Hellebuyck and everyone else. Shesterkin has consistently stayed in that upper tier, too, placing first, fifth, 14th and seventh (this season so far) in goals saved above expected.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike many goalies whose performance varies widely from year to year, and who don\u2019t provide enough value over a league-average netminder you could pick up in free agency for less, there\u2019s significant value added, given how irreplaceable Shesterkin has been.<\/p>\n<p>2. Shesterkin is not that old. Carey Price\u2019s landmark contract, the previous record for AAV, started when he was 31. Same for Bobrovsky, the current owner of the second highest AAV, and Hellebuyck, whose seven-year, $8.5 million deal began this season.<\/p>\n<p>Shesterkin is 28, which means beginning next year, the Rangers will be buying two more premium seasons (age 29 and 30 years) than a lot of the other marquee goalies who have signed for big money. That matters, as he\u2019ll be 36 entering the final season of the deal, an age at which he can plausibly still be a No. 1. And by then, the cap will be eight bajillion dollars anyway. Speaking of which \u2026<\/p>\n<p>3. The cap is going way up. Perhaps $11.5 million sounds like a small fortune, but against a $97 million cap, it\u2019s only 11.8 percent of the ceiling. When Price signed his deal, it was 13.2 percent. Bobrovsky\u2019s was 12.3 percent. Even Vasilevskiy\u2019s contract, which he signed after being a starter for only three seasons, was 11.7 percent of the cap.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, Hellebuyck took a discount in Winnipeg, but in general, Shesterkin\u2019s deal is in the right ballpark for a goalie among the game\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n<p>The other thing to factor in is where the Rangers are in their timeline. While they have some promising young talent, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"zfBFZ3wm0mBRLAaP\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nhl\/player\/artemi-panarin-zfBFZ3wm0mBRLAaP\/\">Artemi Panarin<\/a> is 33 years old and has one year left on his deal. They\u2019re supposed to be in win-now mode, and the only reason they\u2019re still in playoff position right now is the play of their goaltenders.<\/p>\n<p>Playing chicken with Shesterkin and agent Maxim Moliver and letting them get close to free agency, where so many mediocre teams are going to have acres of cap space, made no sense for New York.<\/p>\n<p>Betting on your MVP does, even if there\u2019s going to be risk here in the back half of this deal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contract grade:<\/strong> B-minus<br \/><strong>Fit grade:<\/strong> A<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>(Photo of Igor Shesterkin: Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5975610\/2024\/12\/06\/igor-shesterkin-rangers-contract-grade\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Rangers sign goalie Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year contract extension with a $11.5 million AAV. Shayna Goldman: Goalie contracts can be the trickiest to navigate because it\u2019s &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134375\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134375\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}