Insider Reveals Why Shesterkin Turned Down $11 Million AAV

The reverberations were felt around the hockey world this week when it was revealed that New York Rangers' star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, an impending unrestricted free agent, turned down a record-breaking 8-year, $11 million AAV offer from the Blueshirts.

That deal would have made Shesterkin the highest-paid goalie of all-time, surpassing the $10.5 million AAV deal for Carey Price.

So why did Shesterkin reject the offer?

Insider Elliotte Friedman thinks he knows, as he told Bob Stauffer on the Oilers Now podcast:

What I do believe is this: I believe that Shesterkin and his representatives have argued that he is the best player on the team, and that he should be paid as such. I don't think they're looking for Draisaitl money ($14M AAV) or anything like that, but I do think that their ask would make him the highest paid player on the Rangers, and right now the highest paid player is (Artemi) Panarin ($11.642 million AAV). So I think that's kind of what we're looking at here, is the Rangers don't want to go there at this point in time.

It's been rumored over the summer that Shesterkin is looking for a $12 million AAV.

The new development of New York's $88 million (total) offer going public has added a new wrinkle to the proceedings, and it's fair to wonder if there's something similar being attempted by the team, in the same way that shortly after the Boston Bruins went to the media to reveal what they offered a still-unsigned Jeremy Swayman, the two sides got a deal done. Are the Rangers trying the same tactic?

"The situations aren't exactly the same, because Shesterkin does have a contract this year, " said Friedman, "but it's an interesting one."

Shesterkin has a Vezina Trophy under his belt from 2022, and a career .921 save percentage. He does have an argument that he is the best, and/or at least most important player on the team.

And while he did say that he didn't want negotiations to continue after the season begins, Friedman suggests it's still possible for the agent and team to talk under the radar without involving the player.