Walker Rangers' Igor Shesterkin Could Aim for Historic Contract After Dominant Playoff Run

[Rangers1994]

9 hours ago, BrooksBurner said:

 

The team depends on their goaltending so much, that trading him would almost certainly be a step back regardless of the return. They would essentially be committing to a refactor of the roster, so they would have time to find a replacement.

 

All the more reason to upgrade the physicality and defense.

[Br4d]

Hate to say it but the best move for the Rangers is probably to play Igor this year and let the chips fall where they may next off-season.

 

This unfortunately is not the gap year between windows.  That will be '26.

[Dem]

On 6/26/2024 at 1:44 PM, Albatrosss said:

neither am I.  I dont want Shesty with whatever cap hit he's going to command.  History shows us plenty 

And your screen name is what it's called lol

[Sharpshooter]

We know you don't need a ton of money locked into goaltending to win a cup, but he is one of the best in the league and the Rangers rely on him big time to win. That is both good and bad. lol You look at Vegas winning the Cup with Hill. Hill was great, but that was also an extremely well crafted team. Skinner is good, but Edmonton has two of the best players in the world. The Rangers don't have that either. lol Bob makes a ton of money, was great, and Florida won the Cup. Arguments can be made both ways.

 

Igor is very important to this team, and I just have a feeling he's going to get paid here. Maybe not necessarily in the $12.5 million or whatever it is that was rumored. I can see them settling on something in the $11-11.5 million range. It's going to be crazy either way, but just a hunch that they're going to pay up.

[LindG1000]

On 7/6/2024 at 10:05 AM, Br4d said:

Hate to say it but the best move for the Rangers is probably to play Igor this year and let the chips fall where they may next off-season.

 

This unfortunately is not the gap year between windows.  That will be '26.

 

I feel really uncomfortable with the possibility of losing Shesterkin for nothing in the UFA market. 

[Pete]

The Venn diagram where people who want to pay Igor circle overlaps too much with the circle of "They're not good enough, they need to get better 5v5, Igor is the only reason they got that far."

 

Well, you're not going to remedy or rectify reliance on the goalie by making the goalie the highest-paid player on the team...Unless (like Florida), you get really lucky with trades and waivers.

[Br4d]

46 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

I feel really uncomfortable with the possibility of losing Shesterkin for nothing in the UFA market. 

 

I'm a bit uncomfortable also.

 

Here's the choice:

 

1.  Keep Igor and a have a small shot at a Stanley Cup.

 

a)  Just play him and let things play out.

b) Sign him to an extension at a clearly excessive cap number.

 

2.  Trade Igor and our chances at a Stanley Cup alongside him.

 

The Rangers are perched at the edge of the window that Gorton and Drury built.  It isn't going to stay open for much longer no matter what the Rangers do at this point.  The key players are mostly vets that have hit their ceilings.  So the question above is kind of critical.

 

The next window will be defined by how the Rangers do on extending their young players and by whether a few key vets can continue to play at a high level.  However without Igor that window is going to require a lot of luck in finding the next goalie without Benoit Allaire.

 

 

[LindG1000]

27 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

I'm a bit uncomfortable also.

 

Here's the choice:

 

1.  Keep Igor and a have a small shot at a Stanley Cup.

 

a)  Just play him and let things play out.

b) Sign him to an extension at a clearly excessive cap number.

 

2.  Trade Igor and our chances at a Stanley Cup alongside him.

 

The Rangers are perched at the edge of the window that Gorton and Drury built.  It isn't going to stay open for much longer no matter what the Rangers do at this point.  The key players are mostly vets that have hit their ceilings.  So the question above is kind of critical.

 

The next window will be defined by how the Rangers do on extending their young players and by whether a few key vets can continue to play at a high level.  However without Igor that window is going to require a lot of luck in finding the next goalie without Benoit Allaire.

 

 

 

I can't say with certainty that this is true.  It's almost certainly true for this coming season, but it may not be true for the long haul. Hell, it may not be true for this upcoming season if the return is high-enough end and includes either a good enough goalie or a good enough defender to make the goalie less important for us.

[jsm7302]

34 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

I can't say with certainty that this is true.  It's almost certainly true for this coming season, but it may not be true for the long haul. Hell, it may not be true for this upcoming season if the return is high-enough end and includes either a good enough goalie or a good enough defender to make the goalie less important for us.

Shore up the defense and get a good goalie. Id take a look at Merzlikins in Columbus. He fell off after getting a lil pay day. Might be a solid pick up if he can get a change of scenery and pick things back up. Just an idea.

[LindG1000]

2 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

Shore up the defense and get a good goalie. Id take a look at Merzlikins in Columbus. He fell off after getting a lil pay day. Might be a solid pick up if he can get a change of scenery and pick things back up. Just an idea.

His contract is poisonous. It's Shesterkin money for low-end 1980s goaltending. 

[RangersIn7]

46 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

I can't say with certainty that this is true.  It's almost certainly true for this coming season, but it may not be true for the long haul. Hell, it may not be true for this upcoming season if the return is high-enough end and includes either a good enough goalie or a good enough defender to make the goalie less important for us.

If you move him, you are getting back a lot. 

Think in the realm of 3-5 pieces. Figure about 4. 

 
While it’s not a certainty, in any deal involving Igor, you’re bringing back a goalie in the return.

Beyond that, it all depends on what the other team has to offer and what the Rangers actually want from them.

Ideally, just IMO, beyond the likely goalie, you’d get a good young/prospect forward, a  good young/prospect D, plus a 1st. 
 

To further clarify… I think a goalie and a 1st round pick are highly likely.

Doesnt have to be a great goalie. But it has to be a guy who can play, at least in terms of splitting time with Quick relatively evenly. Maybe someone with an expiring or short-term deal, meaning 2 years. There’s some flex on that.

So figure a goalie and a 1.

 

Those to me though are the secondary pieces.

 

Your big pieces though should likely be something like as said a D and a F who are very young with high ceilings.

 

1 has to be established. 1 can be a prospect but he should be NHL ready or very close and with big upside. 
 

It’s actually a pretty enticing option provided you have a solution for goalie in there somehow longer term. 

 

I’ll also add that if you’re primary pieces in the return are bigger and better, then your secondary pieces mean a little bit less. 

Edited July 8 by RangersIn7

[Br4d]

Goalies don't bring the kind of return people are suggesting above.

[RangersIn7]

If we are seriously talking about trading him, Anaheim is actually a team I’d seriously look at as a potential partner.

 

They are loaded with young talent and have a prospect pool behind it that’s arguably the best in the league, and certainly top-5 If not 2 or 3.

 

They’ve had 10 1st round picks in the last 6 drafts, 6 of those have been in the top-10 and 3 of those are top-3. 
 

But… unless I’m wrong or have missed something, they don’t have a young goalie that they love moving forward. 
Im not sure they’re too enamored with Dostal, though there may be some potential there. 

 

Surely Drury could get two really good young pieces from them, and potentially in the form of guys who help you right away, if not very soon.

[LindG1000]

Just now, Br4d said:

Goalies don't bring the kind of return people are suggesting above.

The Igor Shesterkins of the world don't usually get traded.

 

Markstrom, who is a clear tier or two below Shesterkin and six years older,  got a 1st and a roster D. 

Ullmark, again, a clear tier or two below Shesterkin and a few years older, got a 1st, a depth F, and a fringe starting goalie.

 

I think there's reason to believe that if the best keeper in the NHL were auctioned off, we'd see a good return. 

[LindG1000]

Just now, RangersIn7 said:

If we are seriously talking about trading him, Anaheim is actually a team I’d seriously look at as a potential partner.

 

They are loaded with young talent and have a prospect pool behind it that’s arguably the best in the league, and certainly top-5 If not 2 or 3.

 

They’ve had 10 1st round picks in the last 6 drafts, 6 of those have been in the top-10 and 3 of those are top-3. 
 

But… unless I’m wrong or have missed something, they don’t have a young goalie that they love moving forward. 
Im not sure they’re too enamored with Dostal, though there may be some potential there. 

 

Surely Drury could get two really good young pieces from them, and potentially in the form of guys who help you right away, if not very soon.

 

They love Dostal. He's the real deal. 

[RangersIn7]

3 minutes ago, Br4d said:

Goalies don't bring the kind of return people are suggesting above.

I’m simply saying this is what they should shoot for.

Having said that, in any return, they’re likely to get 3-4 pieces though. I’m guessing you see that, it’s just a question of what and how good those pieces are. 
 

This is purely hypothetical Brad. What you’re saying about goalie returns is fair. Because historically goalie returns aren’t the best. They can be good, but not necessarily amazing.

 

I should have further clarified that.

 

But in this case, it’s actually possible as you’re trading the best goalie in the world at age 28. 
So it’s not ridiculous to think they could get close to that. 

[RangersIn7]

5 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

They love Dostal. He's the real deal. 

And they might be right about that. He did take a step backwards this year in his first season as a full time player albeit as a platoon player with Gibson. 
They’re bad so it’s a bit harder to get a read. 
He’s a talented kid with potential. There’s also some question marks there.

The league isn’t exactly historically littered with great Czech goalies not named Hasek. 

[RangersIn7]

All purely hypothetical, boring off-season speculation. 

[Cash or Czech]

25 minutes ago, RangersIn7 said:

If we are seriously talking about trading him, Anaheim is actually a team I’d seriously look at as a potential partner.

 

They are loaded with young talent and have a prospect pool behind it that’s arguably the best in the league, and certainly top-5 If not 2 or 3.

 

They’ve had 10 1st round picks in the last 6 drafts, 6 of those have been in the top-10 and 3 of those are top-3. 
 

But… unless I’m wrong or have missed something, they don’t have a young goalie that they love moving forward. 
Im not sure they’re too enamored with Dostal, though there may be some potential there. 

 

Surely Drury could get two really good young pieces from them, and potentially in the form of guys who help you right away, if not very soon.

 

Calgary just moved Markstrom. San Jose rebuild could be accelerated with some decent goaltending, and Seattle's gotten lackluster goaltending from all of the guys they've gotten. 

Edited July 8 by Cash or Czech

[RangersIn7]

7 minutes ago, Cash or Czech said:

 

Calgary just moved Markstrom. San Jose rebuild could be accelerated with some decent goaltending, and Seattle's gotten lackluster goaltending from all of the guys they've gotten. 

Yeah.

If you’re trading him, there are options.

He has an NTC, so it’s limited somewhat, but there are places you could trade him, which he would go, that could give you a good return on him. 
 

Again… this is purely boring offseason speculation in my behalf cause there’s not tons to discuss.

 

Furthermore, I think he stays here. I just hope it’s a number we can live with that doesn’t crush them. 

[Phil]

1 hour ago, RangersIn7 said:

If you move him, you are getting back a lot. 

Think in the realm of 3-5 pieces. Figure about 4. 

 
While it’s not a certainty, in any deal involving Igor, you’re bringing back a goalie in the return.

Beyond that, it all depends on what the other team has to offer and what the Rangers actually want from them.

Ideally, just IMO, beyond the likely goalie, you’d get a good young/prospect forward, a  good young/prospect D, plus a 1st. 
 

To further clarify… I think a goalie and a 1st round pick are highly likely.

Doesnt have to be a great goalie. But it has to be a guy who can play, at least in terms of splitting time with Quick relatively evenly. Maybe someone with an expiring or short-term deal, meaning 2 years. There’s some flex on that.

So figure a goalie and a 1.

 

Those to me though are the secondary pieces.

 

Your big pieces though should likely be something like as said a D and a F who are very young with high ceilings.

 

1 has to be established. 1 can be a prospect but he should be NHL ready or very close and with big upside. 
 

It’s actually a pretty enticing option provided you have a solution for goalie in there somehow longer term. 

 

 

Goalies rarely bring back "a lot." Especially not ones on the edge of UFA.

 

Markstrom with two years left got Kevin Bahl and a 1st. Logan Thomposon went for two thirds. Schmid went for Paul Cotter and a third. All this year.

 

Prior to this, some of the "bigger" goalie trades include Kuemper for Connor Timmins, a first, and a third, and Freddie Andersen for a 1st and 2nd.

 

Basically, if you're dealing Shesterkin, you're getting a first and a lower-end roster player. Maybe another pick. That's about it.

[Phil]

53 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

The Igor Shesterkins of the world don't usually get traded.

 

Markstrom, who is a clear tier or two below Shesterkin and six years older,  got a 1st and a roster D. 

Ullmark, again, a clear tier or two below Shesterkin and a few years older, got a 1st, a depth F, and a fringe starting goalie.

 

I think there's reason to believe that if the best keeper in the NHL were auctioned off, we'd see a good return. 

 

Ullmark just won a Vezina. He went for a 1st, depth F, and fringe goalie, like you said.

 

There's no reason to ever assume this player is going to get the haul you, or anyone else thinks he's worth, because he's not. No goalie is. No one ever gets the haul their fans think they're worth.

 

28 minutes ago, Cash or Czech said:

 

Calgary just moved Markstrom. San Jose rebuild could be accelerated with some decent goaltending, and Seattle's gotten lackluster goaltending from all of the guys they've gotten. 

 

Great. The return is still gonna be a first, mediocre roster player, and maybe an extra pick. There's no king's ransom to be had here (or for any goalie).

 

The highest return for a goalie I can think of was 9th overall (Bo Horvat) for Cory Schneider years ago.

[Br4d]

I don't think the Rangers are going to trade Igor unless there's a mandate for some reason from Dolan to trade him.

 

I suspect they're going to give him the cheapest possible 8 year extension which will still be horrifically expensive by current standards.  Think $12M a year as probably the floor.

 

Why do I think the two things above?  Because we just won the President's Trophy and if we fall off significantly from that due to an Igor trade Drury is going to get fired.

 

No GM sets themselves up for an instant pratfall because appearances matter in all professional sports.

[LindG1000]

2 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

Ullmark just won a Vezina. He went for a 1st, depth F, and fringe goalie, like you said.

 

There's no reason to ever assume this player is going to get the haul you, or anyone else thinks he's worth, because he's not. No goalie is. No one ever gets the haul their fans think they're worth.

 

Hard to say. Players like Shesterkin - still youngsh, obviously top 3 if not top at his position - they do not get traded often if at all at their peaks. Shesterkin's probably close to if not at his peak.

 

I'd guess a first, a top prospect, and a roster player are the baselines for starting the conversation. Might also be the ceiling, but again, I can't recall the last time during the cap era that a top 3 at his position was traded.

 

 

[Phil]

5 minutes ago, Br4d said:

I don't think the Rangers are going to trade Igor unless there's a mandate for some reason from Dolan to trade him.

 

I suspect they're going to give him the cheapest possible 8 year extension which will still be horrifically expensive by current standards.  Think $12M a year as probably the floor.

 

Why do I think the two things above?  Because we just won the President's Trophy and if we fall off significantly from that due to an Igor trade Drury is going to get fired.

 

No GM sets themselves up for an instant pratfall because appearances matter in all professional sports.

 

They're going to sign him because no GM in the world thinks 8 years in the future. I'm a broken record about it, but Dave Nonis was 150% fucking right (just about the wrong player) when he said of David Clarkson that he didn't care about year seven or eight, he only cared about year one, and in year one, he knew he was getting a good player.

 

Chris Drury doesn't give a flying pigeon fuck about the Rangers' potential cap eight years from now. He probably doesn't even think about what it looks like two years from now. He's trying to put together a championship roster and, on paper, even though I don't entirely agree with the idea, signing Shesterkin is key to that.

 

4 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

Hard to say. Players like Shesterkin - still youngsh, obviously top 3 if not top at his position - they do not get traded often if at all at their peaks. Shesterkin's probably close to if not at his peak.

 

I'd guess a first, a top prospect, and a roster player are the baselines for starting the conversation. Might also be the ceiling, but again, I can't recall the last time during the cap era that a top 3 at his position was traded.

 

Again, the highest return for a starting goalie in the cap era I can remember is 9th overall (Horvat) for Cory Schneider (who was like 26 at the time?). I think you're trying to wish this into existence. All of recent NHL history suggests that even a player as good as Shesterkin (Vezina winner) will get you a first (likely late), a mediocre roster player, and maybe another pick.

 

He's going to San Jose? Great. It's like 1st, 2nd, and Nico Sturm or something.