NHL Rumors: Rangers increase their offer to Shesterkin, plus Oettinger-Stars and Tavares-Maple Leafs news

The puck drops on the New York Rangers' season on Wednesday night, marking the end of an unofficial deadline.

We'll now see how strongly Igor Shesterkin feels about putting extension talks on hold once his team's regular season begins. This is an opinion that has been expressed to the team, but is it unfounded?

There's no reason to doubt that Shesterkin would rather focus on the season and nothing else, but one would imagine there is some wiggle room. If the Rangers offer an extension in mid-November that's just right for Shesterkin's camp, will his representatives really not offer it to him?

It's their job to do that, so of course they would. If the superstar goalie says at this point he doesn't want to deal with it during the season, then so be it. After the season there will still be time to complete it by July 1st. But I think you have to leave open the possibility that an extension is still possible during the season, regardless of what is said.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, we received a tweet from Kevin Weekes saying Shesterkin had rejected an eight-year, $88 million offer from the Rangers.

Rick Komarow, who represents Shesterkin along with Max Moliver, declined to comment Tuesday when asked about the report. I suspect they didn't particularly like the timing.

It was previously reported last month that the Rangers were willing to pay Shesterkin more than Carey Price's AAV of $10.5 million, the highest cap hit on the NHL books for a goaltender. League sources confirmed that the Rangers did indeed make that offer to Shesterkin.

But wherever the latest offer is, it's obviously still not the number that will close the deal.

Shesterkin's camp believes he is the best goalkeeper in the world and I think the Rangers agree. But within that agreed-upon context, the reality is that the salary cap continues to rise, and this is about the percentage of the cap for the best players in the game.

If Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl is worth $14 million per year upon his extension starting next season – a contract heavily influenced by the rising salary cap – then how much is the best goaltender in the world worth? I don't believe for a second that Shesterkin's camp is asking for Draisaitl money, but it's apparently over $11 million. So I ask again, as I did a few weeks ago: Is it $12 or $13 million that will do it?

And what number makes it too difficult for the Rangers to build a team around him? This is a legitimate concern.

The modern NHL philosophy is to deny goaltenders the same pay as top players. But we just saw Jeremy Swayman defy that philosophy and win in a restricted agent negotiation. Against the Boston Bruins, no less.

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Shesterkin, who has unrestricted free agency and a reputation for being the best goaltender in the world, can legitimately claim he makes more than $11 million per year due to the expanding salary cap.

The final piece of this puzzle is the eighth year, which only the Rangers can provide. In my opinion, this isn't the be-all and end-all for Shesterkin's camp. When they hit the market on July 1, the average annual value of a seven-year contract will be huge. And if he's still playing reasonably well after those seven years are up, even at age 37, you could imagine someone would be willing to pay him on a one-year deal. At this age it might not be as high, but the salary is still there.

So here we are, the Rangers season is about to begin. It's the most interesting negotiation in the NHL this season, considering the financial situation for goaltenders and the standards involved.

Whether at the Rangers or elsewhere.

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Influence of Swayman on Oettinger

There's a goalie in Dallas who undoubtedly kept a close eye on what was going on with his Team USA buddy in Boston.

Jake Oettinger is a postseason RFA and is the same age, 25, as Swayman. The impact of Swayman's $8.25 million per season AAV contract was felt across the goaltending market, but especially for a player as close to the fold as Oettinger.

The Dallas Stars and Oettinger's camp, led by agent Ben Hankinson, had only a brief conversation this summer. So far, no meaningful extension discussions have been initiated. All things being equal, I think the Oettinger camp probably wants to wait and use a big year this season as leverage before making any meaningful commitment. But that doesn't stop the Stars from negotiating during the season, which I think they will.

I think Oettinger absolutely loves it in Dallas, so there is full expectation that this will be accomplished once the teams really get into the game. But the Swayman contract has made things harder for the Stars.

The real challenge for the Stars competing in the Cup is that young star striker Wyatt Johnston is also an RFA after the season and that will also be a big contract.

Extension talks between Leafs and Tavares

The Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares' team, led by veteran agent Pat Brisson, have entered into contract negotiations.

Obviously, the delicate dance here is finding a sweet spot for what a pay cut from Tavares' current AAV of $11 million looks like.

They are not there yet, but the dialogue will continue. There is a mutual interest in continuing the relationship. Tavares is raising his family in his hometown and doesn't want to go anywhere. But I also don't think there's a rush to get anything done, especially from the team's perspective. Obviously, the Leafs have other important files, most notably pending UFA player Mitch Marner.

(Top photo of John Tavares and Igor Shesterkin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)