Shesterkin rejects NYR contract offer

At first we all thought it would be a challenge, but you can't blame Drury for trying. Kevin Weekes reported today that Igor Shesterkin has turned down the largest contract ever offered to a goaltender in NHL history.

After watching the Bruins miserably and very publicly dance with Jeremy Swayman, who is a far less proven goaltender, it's possible that this news concerns many NYR fans. Does Igor deserve such a contract? The short answer to this question is: Yes, it does, but at the same time, allocating that much money to a resource can be challenging. Will they be able to stay competitive and spread the talent across the rest of the roster? With less cap space and flexibility, that becomes more difficult. But your core players need to be paid what they deserve, and the Rangers' goalie of Vezina's caliber deserves to be paid.

The cap is expected to continue to rise, and in a few years the Rangers will be able to look back at handing out this contract and laugh at its overall value. That is the positive hope that remains here. However, this situation is unprecedented and is heavily linked to the Rangers Cup window. I'll tell you right away: leaving Igor is the wrong move, and the team would be stupid to consider this option unless an offer is made that they cannot refuse, but the teams know how the situation is is, and Drury has little leverage. The only answer here is to give Igor the bag he wants and continue to focus on internal development and cost-controlled contracts. Making it work is Chris Drury's job, and now it's more important than ever that he does that job.