Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin tops list of 2025 NHL free-agent goalies

For those counting at home, Labor Day will mark 10 months before Igor Shesterkin can become an unrestricted free agent. That’s certainly plenty of time for the New York Rangers to hammer out an expensive long-term contract extension with their star goalie. But it serves as a reminder that there is a deadline on the horizon.

Certainly, Rangers general manager Chris Drury doesn’t need the reminder. Re-upping with Shesterkin is his No. 1 priority, especially now that offseason player moves are completed and the roster is by and large set to start the 2024-25 season.

The best-case scenario here has the two sides working out an agreement before the puck drops opening night in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9. That way, the Rangers have their most important player locked up for years to come, cost certainty for next offseason and can shift focus to contract extensions for upcoming restricted free agents Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller.

And it’d shut down the potential sideshow of Shesterkin, his teammates and coach Peter Laviolette having to answer questions about whether the contract situation is a distraction to the goalie and team during the season.

Though Shesterkin already seems to have a plan in place when it comes to contract questions.

This is no easy negotiation. Not when you talk about the kind of money Shesterkin could make on his next deal.

It’s already been reported that Shesterkin seeks to become the highest-paid goalie in NHL history . That’d mean making more than Carey Price at $10.5 million annually. Many see Shesterkin aiming for more than $12 million per season.

And though Drury and Co. desperately want to keep the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner long term, cost is still a concern. Every dollar saved in negotiations is vital, what with Lafreniere and Miller ready for big paydays and the Rangers already up against the salary cap.

Logic says the Rangers and Shesterkin will work out an extension before the 28-year-old is a UFA next July 1. But since he still is unsigned past this season, let’s break down where Shesterkin fits in the potential goalie free-agent market next summer.

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Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin heads Top-5 free-agent NHL goalies in 2025

Of the 15 most recognizable NHL goalies that can be unrestricted free agents in 2025, Shesterkin is right there at the top of the list. Marc-Andre Fleury is the most accomplished of the goalies on the list, but the 39-year-old is likely playing his final NHL season and, even if not, is no longer in Shesterkin’s league at this point of his storied career. Frederik Andersen will hit free agency at age 35 and is likely in the final stages of being a No. 1 goalie.

Then there’s a string of familiar, if not overly exciting options, like Jake Allen, David Rittich, Dan Vladar, Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek. Each will likely find a new home in a secondary role.

Ilya Samsonov is a big X-Factor in this group. Trying to rebuild his career after a tumultuous stretch with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he signed a one-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights this summer looking to turn his fortunes around.

For now, Samsonov is just on the outside of a clear top-5 that Shesterkin is a part of. Let’s take a look.

Related: Igor Shesterkin shares keys to his postseason success, remains focused on winning Cup

5. Joey Daccord (Seattle Kraken)

Just a year ago, it would’ve been hard to imagine Joey Daccord being a top-5 option among free-agent goalies in 2025. But the career backup and minor leaguer finally got his shot last season with the Kraken and he flourished as the No. 1. Daccord appeared in 50 games and posted a 2.46 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts. A late-bloomer, Daccord could be in line for a big payday next summer if he replicates those numbers and helps lead the Kraken back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He will be 29 next season and doesn’t have a lot of mileage on him. But let’s see if Daccord can follow up his breakout season and show it wasn’t a fluke.

4. Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights)

The only goalie on this Top-5 to have won the Stanley Cup, Adin Hill needs to prove he can stay healthy and be more than a 1a option in a shared rotation if he hopes to cash in big-time. Hill has a lifetime 2.68 GAA and .910 save percentage, but never played more than the 35 games he appeared in with the Golden Knights last season.

Of course, he proved himself in the 2023 postseason, when he was 11-4 with a 2.17 GAA and .932 save percentage in 16 games, and was in the crease the night Vegas won the Cup. That means something.

Hill will be challenged for playing time by Samsonov, and perhaps even Akira Schmid, so this is fascinating contract year for the 28-year-old.

3. Alexandar Georgiev (Colorado Avalanche)

How’s this for symmetry? Shesterkin’s former goaltending partner with the Rangers, Alexandar Georgiev, also is a pending UFA on July 1. Like Shesterkin with the Rangers, there’s a chance the Avalanche look to sign an extension with Georgiev — their clear No. 1 goalie — before he reaches free agency.

Georgiev landing a major deal is still a bit in question, though. Even though he’s one of the best pending UFA goalies in 2025, without question, there are concerns about how his play dipped last season (3.02 GAA, .897 save percentage) and how he might be overused (NHL-high 125 games the past two seasons) in Colorado.

But he does play for an elite team. So, a strong season by Georgiev, along with a long playoff run, will likely land him a lucrative long-term deal somewhere.

2. Linus Ullmark (Ottawa Senators)

The only goalie in the conversation, along with Shesterkin, as being the best of this free-agent crop, is Linus Ullmark. The 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner excelled with the Boston Bruins the past three seasons, sharing the net with Jeremy Swayman. He had a ridiculous 1.89 GAA to go with his 40-6-1 record two seasons ago and was still very good (2.57 GAA, .915 save percentage) despite coming back down to earth last season.

Now, the 31-year-old is the clear-cut No. 1 with the Senators, a younger team that needs him to be a difference maker behind a defense that is not in the same league as Boston’s. There’ll be a ton of pressure on him, but he’s darn good. A solid season should land him a big deal, perhaps even with the Senators who’ve been searching for an elite goalie for years now.

1. Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers)

As good as Ullmark is, there is no sexier name on this list than Shesterkin. He’s considered by many to be the best goalie in the NHL . And at worst, he’s in the conversation with players like Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky.

Shesterkin’s brilliant postseason track record, which includes leading the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final two of the past three seasons, was buoyed by his outstanding play this past spring. And his track record the past four regular seasons is just as impressive: ranking second only to Ullmark (.923) among goalies who’ve played at least 100 games with a .920 save percentage, and fourth with 125 wins.

He’s going to get paid.

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