NHL insider provides shocking reason that Jeremy Swayman and Igor Shesterkin remain unsigned

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Daniel Lucente
September 25, 2024 (1:08 PM)

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NHL insider Pierre LeBrun has provided some specifics as to why the top two goaltenders in the NHL remain unsigned by their respective clubs.

To this date, Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers remain in limbo. With the regular season just a month away, both franchises are getting anxious. In the case of Swayman, a restricted free agent, he continues to negotiate his new contract with the Bruins. In the case of the Rangers, the team anxiously awaits Shesterkin's decision prior to free agency.

According to TSN insider Pierre LeBrun, the reasons for the holdouts vary: Shesterkin's looking for a total reset on the goaltending market and the largest contract ever given to a goalie; Swayman is looking for an eight-year deal and isn't moving off that, per LeBrun.

Despite having a "down year" by his standards, Shesterkin still amassed respectable numbers last season. He racked up 36 wins in 55 games, while also boasting a .912 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average, including four shutouts. For most goalies, this would be a good season, but Shesterkin has set the bar very high for himself.

Swayman is three years younger than Shesterkin. The good year he had with the Bruins, playing 44 games with a record of 25-10-8, included a .916 save percentage, and a 2.53 goals-against average, with three shutouts to his credit towards Boston's total.

With the start of the season in play, both goaltenders have great reason to hold out, but Jeremy Swayman's age and recent performance make him the more desirable choice for a long-term investment. It now remains a waiting game as to whether or not either team will move to meet their goaltender's demands prior to the puck drop on the new season.