Insider Trading: Shesterkin camp looking to reset goalie market

TSN’s Hockey Insiders discuss the latest on Igor Shesterkin’s contract talks with the Rangers, the Sens waiting to talk contract extension with Linus Ullmark and what’s next for Ken Holland and Phil Kessel.

Shesterkin camp looking to reset goalie market

Gino Reda: They are the Insiders: Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger. Gentlemen, back in 2017, Carey Price became the highest-paid goalie in the NHL with an AAV of $10.5 million a year. No one between the pipes has been able to top that since then. Are we going to finally see that number surpassed by Igor Shesterkin, Pierre?

LeBrun: I think that's where it's headed. The question is, will it be with the New York Rangers or with another team next summer? And that's the item that still has to be resolved. The New York Rangers have let it be known to Igor Shesterkin’s camp that they are willing to pay north of that $10.5 million that Carey Price made and still is on the books actually for the Montreal Canadiens. But you know, what we're finding out here is that Shesterkin’s camp is looking to reset the goalie market and that is notable. A lot of people around the league are looking at this negotiation very closely, because recent top goalie contracts have not been to that level. If you think of [Ilya] Sorokin and [Connor] Hellebuyck and [Juuse] Saros, all under $9 million a year. In fact, Saros the freshest of those three deals at $7.74 million a year. Hellebuyck has won two Vezinas, Shesterkin has won one. Shesterkin’s camp is looking to absolutely blow past those three contracts. The question is, if the Rangers are willing to go north of $10.5 million, and the deal's not done yet, where will this end up? Is it $11,12, 13 million? We'll wait and find out. In the meantime, Shesterkin would like to get this done before the regular season starts, or else he will shelve talks is what he's telling the Rangers.

Sens waiting to start Ullmark extension talks

Johnston: Well, and another pending UFA goaltender entering the final year of his deal is Linus Ullmark. And his situation is unique, of course, because he has ended up at the Ottawa Senators via trade from Boston back in June. And even though he is entering that last year and the Senators obviously gave up assets to acquire him, they have not yet started talking substantively any extension talks with Ullmark. Now, that's not because they don't intend to do so. Obviously, Ottawa thinks highly of the player. They would love to keep him, but I think the strategy right now is maybe to let this breathe a little bit, give him time to get comfortable in the city and with his new team, and then broach those contract discussions at somewhere weeks or months down the road.

Holland has recharged and is ready for next challenge

Reda: Speaking of guys looking for new deals, after helping to lead the Oilers to the Cup final last season, Ken Holland and the Oilers mutually agreed to part ways, but we’ve never heard Holland actually use the word "retired." What are you hearing about his future, Dregs?

Dreger: Well, what we're hearing here Gino is that he's open to anything. You're right, I think most of us thought that Kenny Holland may just fade into retirement, maybe take a consulting role or an advisory role, and he might be open to one of those positions on a short-term basis. He's also open to not doing a whole heck of a lot other than playing golf over the course of this year. But let me tell you this, he still has tons of energy, and he still is motivated by the juice of the game, but it has to be the right fit. So I look at hockey operations bosses in Canada, like Jimmy Rutherford in Vancouver, what about Jeff Gorton of the Montreal Canadiens. I think Kenny Holland would be keenly interested in a job like that. Maybe another GM opportunity. But at his age, it can't be a rebuild. But he wants to work again.

Phil Kessel looking for PTO, still eager to play

LeBrun: Speaking of guys on the sidelines not ready to retire yet, how about Phil Kessel? Yeah, we mentioned him a few times last year. He didn't play in the NHL. He wanted to. He is willing still to try and help an NHL team. He's willing to sign a PTO if the fit is right. And one of the things that his camp has alerted teams that have called about him is that ‘don't worry about that ironman streak.’ It's not going to be an issue. He's open to a part-time role and not playing every game, and that's a pretty key departure, I think, from the past. So the bottom line is, ‘Phil the Thrill’ is still open to coming back if the fit is right.

Expansion not on the agenda for next board meeting

Reda: That's wild. There's been some chatter over the last little while. Guys, the NHL may be considering expanding into Houston and maybe even Atlanta again. Gary Bettman has gone way out of his way to quash that talk. But what are you hearing, CJ?

Johnston: Well, there's been another fresh round of it here in the last week or so. And you know, some of it was suggesting that maybe there was a deal close and something was going to be announced, and with the NHL owners due to meet at the Board of Governors meeting next week in New York, that question had to be asked. And I was told unequivocally that there's going to be no expansion votes or no opening of a formal expansion process as part of that meeting. I think what might happen there is perhaps Gary Bettman will update the current league owners on those expressions of interest that the league has been getting from other cities. But at this point in time, it's still a back-burner issue. I would say for the league. Every reason to believe expansion is coming somewhere down the line, but let's tap the brakes. It's not coming here in the immediate future.

Reda: They are the Insiders: Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger.