In the high-stakes world of NHL front offices, planning ahead is key when it comes to a star player’s looming contract status. The repercussions of a star player going from underpaid to commanding a huge salary can have a major trickle-down effect on a team’s roster. As one player’s salary increases, there are fewer dollars to go around for other parts of the team, leading to tough decisions on which players to keep and which to let go.
The recent extension of Leon Draisaitl, worth a whopping $112 million over eight years, has set the stage for other marquee players whose contracts are set to expire after the 2024-25 season. Who will be the next stars to command big money, how much will they cost, and how will it impact their team’s cap situation? These are the questions we are diving into, focusing on players projected to see a significant increase in their cap hit.
“Every team can afford to extend their elite players, but some may handle it more comfortably than others,” says one front office insider. The key is to analyze which clubs can afford the increase in cap hit and what sacrifices they may need to make elsewhere on the roster.
When it comes to goaltender Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers, the stakes are high. With a current cap hit of $5.67 million and an impending free agency status, Shesterkin is poised to become one of the highest-paid netminders in the league.
According to colleague Arthur Staple, Shesterkin’s camp may look to Carey Price’s 2017 extension as a benchmark. Price’s deal ate up 14 percent of the salary cap at the time, which could translate to a $12.9 million cap hit if the cap rises to $92 million for the 2025-26 season. However, a more favorable comparable for the Rangers might be Connor Hellebuyck’s deal, which accounted for 9.66 percent of the cap and would equate to an $8.9 million cap hit. Negotiations between Shesterkin and the Rangers are sure to be intense, with both parties starting far apart but aiming to find common ground.
If we split the difference between Price and Hellebuyck’s cap hit percentages, we arrive at around 11.8 percent of the cap, or a $10.9 million cap hit for Shesterkin. This would be a record-setting AAV for a goaltender, rivaling Andrei Vasilevskiy’s last deal. With pending RFAs like Alexis Lafrenière and K’Andre Miller also looking for raises, the Rangers will need to carefully manage their cap situation to keep their core intact.
As the saga of Shesterkin’s contract negotiations plays out, one thing is clear: the landscape of NHL contracts is changing, with star players demanding top dollar and teams needing to make tough decisions to stay under the cap. The real question is, who will be the next star player to set a new benchmark for contract value in the NHL?
