Lalonde lauds Shesterkin: 'I can see why he turned down' $88M

Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde had an unusual way of tipping his cap to Igor Shesterkin after the New York Rangers goaltender stymied the Atlantic Division squad in a 4-1 win Monday night.

"He's special," Lalonde said of the netminder postgame, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I can see why he turned down the 88 (million dollars). Good agent."

Shesterkin made 31 saves in the victory. Dylan Larkin's goal with just over a second left in the first period stood as the puck-stopper's only blemish on the night. He absolutely robbed Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat with Detroit on the man advantage early in the second period.

Last week, it was reported that Shesterkin rejected an eight-year offer at $11 million annually. The pending unrestricted free agent would've signed the largest contract in NHL history for a goalie, surpassing Carey Price's eight-year, $84-million pact signed in 2017.

Shesterkin earned a 31-save shutout in the Rangers' season opener, a 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9. He followed it up by allowing six goals in an overtime loss to Utah three days later.

The Russian, who'll turn 29 on Dec. 30, had a down campaign by his lofty standards last season but still finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting. He posted a .912 save percentage (his lowest in five NHL campaigns) while going 36-17-2 with four shutouts in 55 games.

Shesterkin has a career save percentage of .921. He led the NHL with a mark of .935 when he won the Vezina in 2021-22.