NEW YORK -- Igor Shesterkin is eager to get back to work for the New York Rangers after becoming a proud father to a baby girl and owner of the highest contract given to an NHL goalie in overall salary and average annual value.
The 28-year-old will start against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden on Monday (7 p.m. ET; CHSN, MSGSN, NHLN), one day after his wife, Anna, gave birth to their second child, and two days after signing an eight-year, $92 million contract ($11.5 million AAV) to remain with the Rangers beyond this season.
Shesterkin returned to his team Monday for an optional morning skate. He was not in uniform for a 7-5 home loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday that extended New York's slide to 2-7-0 in its past nine games.
"It was a pretty tough weekend for me, but I enjoyed it, so happy everything is done, and I can be focused on my game right now," Shesterkin said. "(Wife and baby) are good and healthy, so God bless."
The deal provides stability to the Rangers (14-11-1) and the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner voted as the best goalie in the NHL who could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2025. Shesterkin is in the final season of a four-year, $22.6 million contract ($5.6 AAV) he signed Aug. 9, 2021. His new contract starts next season with a salary and AAV exceeding that of Carey Price (eight years, $10.5 million AAV signed with the Montreal Canadiens on July 2, 2017) and Sergei Bobrovsky (seven years, $10 million AAV with the Florida Panthers on July 1, 2019).
"It means a lot to me," Shesterkin said. "I just want to thank (owner) Mr. (James) Dolan, (general manager) Chris Drury and the entire Rangers organization who made it happen. I will just try my best, and we will try to bring (Stanley) Cup back to New York. And I just want to thank all Rangers fans, because they support us so hard. We'll play for them, play for our family."
Shesterkin made 20 saves in a 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday after allowing 18 goals in his previous five starts, all regulation losses. He is 9-9-1 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 19 starts this season. Jonathan Quick allowed six goals on 21 shots Sunday.
Dylan Garand was assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League on Monday after backing up Quick.
"To be honest, it was really hard to take all this noise," Shesterkin said, "but everything happened right now, everything is done, and so I can be ready for a game and be focused. Sometimes it's not hard [to focus] but sometimes it's hard, so you never know. Sometimes it was pretty hard, especially after a bad game, so you just try to go to the next day.