NHL Rumor Mill – September 27, 2024
Check out the latest on Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, Islanders center Brock Nelson, and Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE ATHLETIC: Peter Baugh looked at the effect a new contract for Igor Shesterkin will have on the New York Rangers’ cap payroll.
The 28-year-old goaltender reportedly seeks an eight-year deal worth an average annual value of $12 million, making him the Rangers’ highest-paid player and the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (NHL Images).
Seven Rangers, including Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller, are slated to become restricted free agents next summer, with those two carrying arbitration rights. Reilly Smith, Ryan Lindgren and Jonathan Quick are eligible to become unrestricted free agents.
Baugh believes the Rangers can’t afford to sign them all even if Shesterkin doesn’t double his current AAV of $5.66 million. They could be forced to make cost-cutting moves.
Jacob Trouba is the most likely trade candidate. He’ll have a year remaining on his contract ($8 million AAV) with a 12-team no-trade list on July 1.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trouba might not be the only Ranger on the move next summer to make room for Shesterkin.
Artemi Panarin will also be in the final year of his contract, though his $11.6 million AAV and full no-movement clause are significant obstacles in the path of a trade. They could also attempt to move Filip Chytil, who lacks no-trade protection and carries an affordable $4.43 million AAV through 2026-27. However, his injury history could dampen his value in the trade market.
It’s easy to suggest the Rangers not re-sign Shesterkin but that leaves a big hole between the pipes that would be difficult to fill.
NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears reports Brock Nelson is open to negotiating a contract extension during this season with the Islanders.
Nelson turns 33 during the first week of this season. Sears believes how the club handles the veteran center’s pending free agency will determine their future direction. They’ll need to determine how much to invest in him and for how long when he’s outperforming the traditional age curve for NHL forwards.
The Islanders could shop Nelson by the March 7 trade deadline. However, Sears only sees that happening if the club underperforms this season.
Nelson has been with the Islanders since 2010 and he doesn’t seem keen to leave. He carries a 16-team no-trade clause.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be worthwhile to monitor Nelson’s status and that of the Isles this season. He’ll draw lots of interest from playoff contenders in the trade market if the Isles peddle him before the deadline.
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli predicts it’ll be “very, very expensive” for the Colorado Avalanche to sign Mikko Rantanen to a contract extension. He believes his next AAV “starts with a $12,” as in $12 million. Jason Gregor believes it’ll be $12.5 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rantanen is one of the elite forwards in the league and a key player for the Avalanche. His current AAV is $9.25 million and he’s coming off two straight 100-plus point seasons. He is going to get a hefty raise on his next contract.
Shesterkin turns 29 in a few months and that makes it a gamble to sign him for 8 years at any price let alone 12 million.
His game should begin to decline this year and the probability of injury increases each season. considering the impact on the hips with the butterfly.
The past few seasons has shown pretty noticeable decline in top notch goalies needing surgery as they reach these years. Jonathan Quick was great till he hit 32, Markstrom was great till he hit 30, it just goes with the territory so I don’t envy NYR a whatever they do will come back to haint them.
I’m not concerned with decline or injury with Shesterkin. He’s really only had 3 full seasons under his belt at 28.
Quick for sure was a starter a few years earlier than Shesterkin. I’d venture to say Markstrom was as well. He also went into decline with the team in front of him not being as good as he’s used to having.
My main concerns would be Allaire no longer in the day to day picture. And generally an 8 year 12 per deal. No matter the player. That’s a huge chunk of cap locked down for 8 years.
Honestly I’d go 10 for 4 / 5 or move on. Maybe see how Ullmark situation shakes out this year. Outside of Fox who’s already locked up, there isn’t a single NY Ranger on that roster worth 12 per today. Not one.
NYR
They have a very good
D-core that makes Sherterkin look very very good….❓
How good is he, he has not got them to the cup final yet…. at $12.M for 8 years that’s a lot for a goaltender who will be 30 yrs old soon and 38 at the end of a contract …..
That’s a Huge contract to be saddled with
If they give him 7 yrs @ &10.5M
He should take the money and Run😵
Not going to happen from the Players side, but I wish contracts were capped at 5 years.
These 7-8 year deals are killing teams on the back half of it.
I hope the next CBA brings about more buyout options for the teams.
The other side of the coin, foleyd7, is that the contracts shrink as a % of the cap. Think Khadri as one example, Gallagher as another. Provided the cap keeps going up of course.
It’s hard for me to envision a scenario where the players make it easier for them to be bought out. What trade off would make that appealing for them?
Re-NYR
There best player, up front an other Russian
Is a UFA AP, at $11.8M
He will also want a big contract …!
Along with a few others forwards
And young d/men to resign
Jacob Truba will also be a UFA and they want to trade him
I Wonder if they would do A Quick Re-tool on the fly…..? ?
Agreed.
The NBA has a maximum of 5 year for contracts and I would like to see the NHL move to 5 or 6 years.
Rantenten really worth almost $4M over Crosby?
Crosby is a tough comparable. His last deal was a cap circumventing 12 year deal not allowable by today’s cba.
And the guys strange obsession/ superstition of his birthday numbers probably cost him some $$$’s this time around. Hard to believe any agent or financial adviser would go along with that birthday thing as a good idea.
Crosby @ 12 today? Probably not but certainly north of 8.7.
Ya Captain, easy to critique the AAV with 12 years of hindsight. 12 years is forever for an NHL player, especially back then when the age decline started younger, as most players didn’t train and eat the way they do now.
Also, he was the highest paid player when he signed, people expected the cap to go up, but the extent it has? That was also an unknown. And the biggest was security against a serious injury. Not an unreasonable trade off, at all, IMO.
He had a stretch where he had a couple concussions over a shorter period, that could have gone the wrong way, and ended his career. Lindros comes to mind.
Sid did well, and sure doesn’t seem too concerned about it.
Really thought Sid would do three years at $ 10 million ? But he stuck to the $8.7 million figure..
He is still elite and worth that but there is some cap room when he takes that deal…
When Crosby signed his current contract it was one of the most lucrative deals in the league at the time. The only player with a higher AAV at that time was Ovechkin at $9.5 million.
Heatley also had a 10 per aav at that time.
Crosby over the hill, overhyped and Rantanen in his prime…no contest
Come on, man! I can understand fan “likes” and “dislikes” but there has to be a significant element of grudging admiration, and nowhere else should that be directed than the guy who, at age 36, played all 82 games scoring 42g (3 above his career 92-game average) 52a 94 pts (just 9 below his career 82-game average).
Cant stand Crosby or the Penguins but nobody can argue that Crosby is “washed” “over rated” or “overpaid”. His contracts have been team friendly since the beginning.
8.7 million for a 90 point player? Every team in the league would sign Crosby for that if given the opportunity.
Something very few athletes or teams show any more – loyalty.
Hate Crosby, but certainly respect the numbers and results.
That being said Im looking forward to another year of actually overpaid LeTurnover, Karlsson and Malkin dooming the Pens to another year of failure as they freefall down the standings.
Really. Wow. Sid is still a stud in the league. Time to get your eyes checked
I will never really understand the bravado behind declaring how much one “hates” Crosby. And for what? He’s not dirty. He’s talented. He’s loyal (to a fault!)
I can understand maybe getting tired of the media coverage like many of us were, but to “hate” him?
I dunno… I reserve that level of emotion for the Matt Cooke’s of the world.
Rantanen is really good but is he a 12m player without McKinnon?
Valid points Brock and Kent, but let’s not forget that we are talking about, probably, THE second-best player of the modern era only after Gretzky when you bring Crosby into any equation.
Over 1272 career games he has 82-game averages of 38g 65a 103 points and, in terms of salary in the cap era, easily has to be THE single biggest bargain of them all: when the cap was implemented in 2005-06 he was entering the first of a 3-season ELC of $850,000 and all he did in that stretch was produced 99g 195a 294 pts over 213gp for 82-game averages of 38g 75a 113 pts – a pace that has changed little since, and his highest cap hit since being $8,700,000, a number that has been exceeded by over 35 players to date, most of whom couldn’t hold a candle to Crosby’s overall game.
It’s the hockey version of the circle of life! 🙂
.
George,
Lemieux was better than Crosby.
By the proverbial country mile.
Ron
I would agree on that 100%
One of the most exciting players of the modern game.could single handed take over the game Hated the pens lived 66 and 68
sure…. but they play a different type of game in a totally different type of league. both greats.
66 68 87 to a lesser extent 71. Greatest players playing for the greatest fan base in the world. Duh. 😝
Ron, not to belittle Mario in any way, shape or form, but as theSaint points out, the whole game had changed dramatically by the time Crosby and Ovechkin arrived on the scene.
In my younger days our favourites were at the pinnacle of the game as it was structured then – believe me, NO comparison to today – guys like the Richard brothers, Beliveau, Harvey, Howe, Frank Mahovlich, Lindsay, Keon, Lemaire, Phil Esposito, Orr, Bossy and so many more – for the longest of times crammed into 6 teams.
All greats in their time.
I mentioned Markstrom and Quick but the are plenty of others like Ben Bishop, Carey Price it’s a difficult position, straining the body in unnatural movement and Shesterkin is hitting the age when time takes it’s toll.
At his age (29) there will be a serious drop off and a cliff at some point in an 8 year deal, pretending otherwise is just being willfully blind.
It isn’t the same for a star F or D man who can adjust tempo, angles, play smarter, change role and not have an impactful drop-off.
Price was derailed by injury.
Bishop is not a good example
His 2nd to last year he posted a 1.98 gaa and a .934 sv%
His final year he put a 2.50 gaa and a .920 save which are good enough numbers to put him in the top 10 gaa and top 4 sv% in the league by last years stats.
Then there’s guys like Bobrovsky.
Regardless of position, an 8 year deal is always a gamble especially 30+. I mean we see deals signed everyone on the planet knows won’t age well. And plenty of buys outs etc.
The only thing that is certain is, nothing is certain. There is no gauge, no crystal ball to understand when or why a player will start declining or breaking down. .
8 times 12 is alot of money for sure but to say he will regress at age 32 is little more than guesswork.
His predecessor Henrik Lundqvist played at an elite level until age 35. All the great goalies played at elite levels into their late 30s. Brodeur, Hasek, Roy, Fleury, Belfour, Fuhr, Smith, Sawchuk, Plante, Esposito. etc.
What evidence is there that Shesterkin will decline before that? The Rangers need to and will pay him.
Well said, HF30. Goalies typically don’t age well, and their play fluctuates. There is valid argument as to who has been the best goalie over the last several years. Bob, Vasilevskiy, Shesterkin, Hellebuyck?
Anyone with credibility agrees that the best forward is McDavid over the same time period.
If the Rangers want to be in perpetual rebuild then Shesterkin at 10+ is the way to go.
Sid taking 8.7 was a bad move by his agent! It cost them his LW in Guentzel !Pitt. Couldn’t t pay him more in term and money than Crosby!This was perfect play by Penguins owner John Henry! Get your best player to take a lower deal and then no one can ask or get more than Sid! This is just how it worked for him and the Boston Red Sox!Get ready for the bottom to fall out!
Come on, man. Yes Crosby’s latest contract was a rare team friendly signing but it was for a total of 17.5 million and puckpedia estimates his career earnings at 150 million. Name another player with that profile.
There are far too many examples of elite players who go for, and get, big bucks to list as a rebuttal.
And how exactly did Sid’s signing his contract just now retroactively scupper negotiations last year with Guenzel?
After getting contracts for his buddies 58,71,Karlsson,why didn’t he get one for Guentzel!
He didn’t get Karlsson contract. And Sid wouldn’t care if a player made more than him.
You are trying way too hard sr. Your envy and malice are showing.
I have always respected that organization!My issue is the owner! I hope he changes how he does business with the Pittsburgh organization! As aBoston fan I hate what he is doing with the Red Sox! Sidney Crosby has always been a phenomenal player,person and role model! I hope the Penguins have a good year,proving me wrong about their owner and Fenway Sports Group!How could I not hope for their success with all the Boston guys working and playing there!
Pittsburgh fans… most of them… recognize this is a crap shoot. No big expectations this year. Playoff bubble team. Many of their acquisitions were brought in to accumulate draft capital. They will likely be shipped out by trade deadline for more. Glass hayes Eller grelzyc (I know. Not even close). More mid round picks possibly with salary held. Cap goes up. Next year I expect them to be more competitive in the fa market.