Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin says contract talks aren't his concern
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin keeps a eye on the puck during practice at the team's training facility in Tarrytown, N.Y., on Friday. Credit: Errol Anderson
GREENBURGH — If the most important task the Rangers have facing them right now is to get a contract extension signed with goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is in the final year of his current deal and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, that is of no concern to the goalie, he said Friday.
“I have one more year [on my current contract],’’ Shesterkin said after practice on Day 2 of training camp. “I don’t care about it.’’
He did say he would like to stay in New York.
“I love the organization, I love the team, I love the fans,’’ he said. “So of course it will be great to stay here. But you never know what can happen.’’
He insisted that negotiating a new contract, which almost certainly will make him the highest-paid goalie in the league (Carey Price, with a $10.5 million average annual value, currently holds that distinction), is something for his agent to worry about. His attitude, he said, is to “just be focused on my game and on practice every day.’’
Shesterkin, 28, was 36-17-2 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage last season. Before the All-Star break, he was 19-12-1 with a 2.86 GAA and .899 save percentage; after the break, he was 17-5-1 with a 2.20 GAA and .929 save percentage.
Asked why he was able to finish the season so strong, Shesterkin didn’t offer an explanation, instead challenging himself to have a stronger start this season.
“We don’t have an All-Star break this season [All-Star Weekend will be replaced by the 4 Nations Faceoff], so I need to be better right away,’’ he said.
Shesterkin went home to Russia this summer for the first time since 2021, and besides seeing family and friends, got to train for a few weeks with his goalie coaches there. His goalie coach here, Benoit Allaire, gave up those day-to-day duties, turning them over to Hartford’s goalie coach, Jeff Malcolm.
Allaire still is in the organization as director of goaltending, and Shesterkin said the transition from him to Malcolm has been smooth. Malcolm has continued to use the same goalie training drills as Allaire did, he said.
“It’s a new relationship, but I think that some of the principles are the same,’’ Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “[Malcolm] grew up under Benny, and what I’ve learned is that . . . the veteran goalie coaches that have been around, they have a posse underneath them. They learn from this one guy that’s been around.’’
Notes & quotes: Backup goaltender Jonathan Quick, who missed Day 1 of camp because of what the Rangers called “maintenance,’’ was present and able to practice on Day 2 . . . The morning practice group featured what looks like the likely roster for opening night, plus a couple of extras. Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith comprised the first line, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere the second line and Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko the third line. Jimmy Vesey and Matt Rempe flanked alternating centers Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski on the fourth line. Defense pairs were Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller-Braden Schneider, Jacob Trouba-Zac Jones and Ben Harpur-Conor Mackie. The goaltenders were Shesterkin, Quick and Louis Domingue . . . Schneider turned 23 on Friday.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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