Igor Shesterkin, Rangers seemingly progressing toward new deal

Igor Shesterkin opted not to exercise his arbitration rights by Sunday’s deadline, an indication that the Russian goaltender’s camp and the Rangers are making progress toward a new deal on their own.

The situation is straightforward for the Blueshirts, who have upwards of $13.6 million in salary cap space at the moment, per CapFriendly. Shesterkin is just two years away from becoming an unrestricted free agent and as a result, has immense leverage during negotiations. New general manager Chris Drury, therefore, likely will be looking to lock up the team’s young No. 1 goalie to a cost-effective four-to-six-year deal. While his 47-game résumé over the past two seasons is just a sample size, Shesterkin has had more than enough flashes of brilliance between the pipes to prove his potential. That is going to cost the Rangers. It’s projected that Shesterkin could come in between $5 million and $6 million per season, but don’t be surprised if it leans closer to the latter at around $5.75 million.