Russian goalie for the New York Rangers Igor Shesterkin was named “the face of the team” according to a fan poll.
In the vote organized by The Athletic and attended by about 2.5 thousand people, Shesterkin received 42.6% of the votes and confidently won the nomination. Forward Chris Kreider finished second with 27.7%, and defender Adam Fox third (12.4%). Russian forward Artemy Panarin received 5.7% of the votes and came in fifth in the poll.
The Athletic also asked its readers: “If Shesterkin extends his contract for eight years through 2025, what average annual salary should he receive? The majority of those surveyed favored a figure of $11 million or $12 million, and only 5% of fans said it would be better to let the Russian leave the team than to pay him that much.”
Earlier, the New York Post wrote that Shesterkin’s representatives could ask for a salary of $12 million per year for him under the new deal. Such a contract will make the Russian the highest-paid goaltender in the league.
Shesterkin has been with the Rangers since 2019, his $5.6 million contract runs through the end of the 2024/25 season. Last season, he played 55 NHL regular season games (2.58 goals against, 91.3% save percentage) and 16 playoff games (2.34, 92.7%).
In 2022, Shesterkin received the prestigious Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s best goaltender.
More sports news in our telegram channel .
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
