One of the most fascinating negotiations the NHL will have this year is between the New York Rangers and star goalie Igor Shesterkin.

And not just for the obvious reason: Rangers are desperate to keep hold of the goalkeeper many consider the best in the world.

The 28-year-old prospect will draw attention to a position that has been under financial pressure for a number of years.

The Shesterkin camp, led by agents Rick Komarow and Maxim Moliver, seems to want to change that. I say “seems” because they won’t comment, but after a few other statements about the situation, this much is clear: the Shesterkin camp hopes to create a new market for goalies with this contract.

Whether that’s with the Rangers or elsewhere.

First, here’s what they’re fighting against: three notable recent contracts for the No. 1 keeper:

Shesterkin’s camp wants to blow past those deals. And I think they will. For starters, the salary cap is now going up on a regular basis.

His team considers him the best goalkeeper in the world and one of the best players in the world, period.

His next contract is certain to carry a double-digit AAV, putting him in the running for more than the $10 million average annual value paid to Sergei Bobrovsky by the Florida Panthers in 2019 and the $10.5 million paid to Carey Price by the Canadiens in 2017. Those are the two highest AAVs for goalies currently in the NHL.

Here’s what we know from conversations with sources inside the league: The Rangers have told Shesterkin’s team they’re willing to pay him more than the $10.5 million a year Price makes, making him the highest-paid goalie in league history.

But even knowing that, this deal is not done yet. Although the talks are ongoing, which is positive.

So the question is, what would it take to get it done? Would it be $11.5 million? Or $12 million? Or $12.5 million? Or $13 million?

How much would he fetch on the open market on July 1st? Can you imagine the best goalie in the world, in his prime, hitting UFA? One with a .928 career playoff save percentage?

There is a limit to how far the Rangers will go. They have other players to worry about in the coming years. But again, they are willing to pay more than Price’s $10.5 million.

Of course, the Rangers could also point to Hellebuyck’s contract extension from 13 months ago and argue that the two-time Vezina Trophy winner signed for $8.5 million a year (Shesterkin has won the Vezina once).

To which the Shesterkin camp can respond by saying that it’s a percentage of the cap and that the cap is going up every year now. And, well, they can also say that they think Hellebuyck made a mistake by signing that contract.

In Hellebuyck’s defense, first of all, that’s still a lot of money over seven years, but let’s also note that when it looked like the Winnipeg Jets would be forced to trade their star goalie because it didn’t look like they would be able to sign him early in the 2023 offseason, Hellebuyck’s camp got an unofficial picture of the market and realized, I think to their surprise, that no one was willing to sign them to a mega-contract. So they stayed put.

Meanwhile, with ongoing dialogue underway, the clock is ticking toward completing an extension before the Rangers’ regular season begins on Oct. 9. The AthleticsNew York NHL writers Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh were the first to report a few days ago that the star goalie would rather shelve talks once the regular season begins.

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However this plays out, it will be fascinating to watch, in part because of what it says about the extent to which teams are spending salary on the goalie position.

Part of that is because No. 1 goalies aren’t playing as many games as they used to. Sports science has led to more crease sharing. But there’s also a genuine belief in some NHL front offices that the talent gap among goalies has narrowed.

This quote from a few weeks ago from Blues general manager Doug Armstrong comes to mind. For context: As Canada’s Olympic GM, he was responding to a question about the team’s concerns in net. But his response could easily be used to describe what’s happened financially with goalies in recent years.

“My view of goaltending is that the floor is closer to the ceiling now and closer than it’s ever been,” Armstrong said of NHL goaltending. “That’s why you don’t see a generational goalie that’s at the top of the league like Brodeur, Belfour, Patrick or Hasek for a decade. You see players come and go every couple of years. It’s just because I think the floor is so high.”

Now, again, a lot of people see Shesterkin as the best goalie in the world, although that’s not unanimous. Some people would take Hellebuyck or Andrei Vasilevskiy or Sorokin or Saros.

But as mentioned above, when Hellebuyck got the chance to (unofficially) sound out the market for its services in the summer of 2023, it was an unpleasant surprise.

All of this shows once again how fascinating and perhaps impactful this Shesterkin contract can be.

Status quo on Swayman

On Tuesday, there was still a status quo in talks between restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins.

It is unclear whether the Bruins will wait for Swayman to break, but there is no sign of that so far. The only constant is that Swayman wants an eight-year contract. Both parties are focused on a long-term contract. The hole is of course in the AAV.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens closer to the premiere.

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Kessel still hopes to play

Phil Kessel is not considering retirement yet. He would like to work for an NHL team with a PTO to prove himself.

A few teams have been in touch with his agent, Wade Arnott, on the subject, wanting to see how things develop in their camps and pre-season before coming back.

Kessel skated with NHL players in Arizona before camps opened and is training and staying in shape. I’m told he doesn’t care about his regular season Ironman streak if teams are worried about handling that situation. He’d be open to missing games and playing whatever role is asked of him.

He’s not begging for a job, but he genuinely believes he can still help someone.

His last NHL game was April 24, 2023, for Vegas, and all that time off is obviously a concern for teams.

Phil Kessel hasn’t played in the NHL since winning the Cup with the Golden Knights. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Shattenkirk too

Veteran UFA defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is still interested in joining. The 35-year-old played 61 games for the Bruins last season on a one-year, $1.05 million contract and feels he still has something to offer.

“Kevin is ready to play and is patiently waiting for the right opportunity,” his agent, Jordan Neumann, said Tuesday. “There are several teams that we are in regular contact with as their training camps unfold.”

This seems like a situation where teams will have to assess whether a rookie is ready to make the move or needs more time in the AHL.

But I imagine Shattenkirk will hit the market cheaply somewhere in the coming weeks.

No Ullmark conversations yet

Linus Ullmark is entering the final year of his contract, but extension talks with the Ottawa Senators have not yet begun, says colleague Chris Johnston reported on Tuesday in our Insider Trading segment on TSN. The Sens made a big move by acquiring the veteran goalie from Boston in a June trade and have a vested interest in extending his stay in the Canadian capital, but they plan to take stock of their business before they get started.

GM Steve Staios wants to give Ullmark time to become as excited about the team and the city as the organization already is about his arrival.

INSIDER TRADING…

– Shesterkin camp wants to reset goalkeeper market
– Sens awaits start of talks on Ullmark extension
– The Netherlands ready for the next challenge
– Kessel looking for PTO; still excited to play
– Expansion not on agenda for next BOG meeting

MORE: https://t.co/n11mVV6DTL photo.twitter.com/EAGWRYrnaG

— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) September 24, 2024

League is committed to a decentralized design

Following the NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas last June, there was much talk among teams about whether the league should reconsider decentralizing the draft.

There was even talk of holding a new vote among the 32 clubs.

I don’t believe that second vote ever happened.

The league confirmed on Tuesday that, at the request of a large majority of clubs, it is proceeding with plans for a decentralised draft for June 2025.

So that’s a sure thing for June: a completely new look for the draft. The draft prospects will still be in one location, but the 32 front offices will be located in their respective markets.

(Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)