"Deserves $13M+": Fans react to NHL insider's update on Igor Shesterkin-Rangers contract talks

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin has established himself as one of the National Hockey League's top players at the position, picking up multiple awards and accolades so far in his career.

He's won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender, earned multiple All-Star appearances, and leads all goalies in total wins (109) the last three seasons; his status in the League is well established.

He's also entering the final season of his current contract that carries an AAV of just under $6 million, one of the biggest bargains and team-friendly deals in the NHL. He's in line for a hefty raise in salary, and there has been rampant speculation that his next contract could make him the highest-paid goalie in history.

Right now, Carey Price holds that title with an AAV of $10.5 million (despite being all but officially retired). Shesterkin could reportedly command much more than that and is expected to fetch as much as $12-13 million a season - or more.

According to noted NHL Insider Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, contract negotiations between the Rangers and Shesterkin's representation have begun, but there isn't a set deadline for something to get worked out.

Fans on social media have chimed in following Seravallie's report, with many expressing opposing points of view. One fan wrote Shesterkin "deserved" more than double his current AAV.

"Best goalie in the league, but there’s def a point of diminishing returns with goalies, most unpredictable position in the sport, roller-coaster ride," wrote one fan.

"How exactly has he earned a higher AAV than Carey Price?" inquired a different fan.

There were also a few fans who believed an annual contract value worth even half a million more than Price's record AAV represented fair value.

"Hopefully Igor’s camp comes back down to earth and they get something done, anything in the $11 mill is insanely fair and I hope he sees that," wrote another fan.

"8x11 for $88M. Makes him top paid and is fair. Anything else would cripple an already cap crunched franchise. NHL should really adopt “Bird rights” like the NBA. You should be afforded cap relief to keep players you drafted," another fan chimed in.

Shesterkin reportedly doesn't want to discuss new contract once regular season starts

The reality is that a massive new deal for Shesterkin will take up considerable salary cap space for the Rangers, who are also going to need to work out new contracts for other core pieces of their roster.

According to a recent report from The New York Post, Shesterkin won't be negotiating a new deal during the regular season:

"If negotiations don’t resume and a deal is not reached over the next two weeks or so, as The Athletic first reported, there likely won’t be any during the season, The Post confirmed."

General manager Chris Drury has a massive responsibility ahead of him. He needs to not only get his franchise goaltender signed but also in a manner that doesn't completely hamstring his ability to put a competitive team in front of him.