Igor Shesterkin has turned down an offer to become the NHL's highest-paid goalie.

ESPN's Kevin Weekes tweeted Tuesday that the Rangers offered an eight-year, $88 million contract, with an $11 million average annual value that would have eclipsed Carey Price's high-water mark of $10.5 million. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed those numbers to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.

It's not a huge surprise that the 28-year-old Russian would reject it on the eve of New York's season-opener in Pittsburgh. Another league source recently indicated the two sides have been far apart in negotiations, and that the chances of striking a deal before the start of the new season weren't looking very promising. That could always change if Rangers team president Chris Drury decides to up the ante, but Shesterkin seems content to bet on himself and wait it out.

There's some risk involved in that strategy, particularly if injury strikes or Shesterkin has a down year. But if he puts together the type of season he's clearly capable of, then he'll have all the leverage as a pending unrestricted free agent who can hit the open market next summer. That would surely drive up the price tag closer to $12 million per season, if not higher.

That would leave the Rangers in a tough spot. Shesterkin is their most important player and the No. 1 reason for their successful three-year run, which began with his historic Vezina Trophy-winning campaign in 2021-22. He's been the backbone for a team that relies on excellent goaltending and special teams to overcome middling five-on-five play.

He's also been their top playoff performer, with a .929 save percentage across 43 postseason starts dating back to 2022 and 29.75 goals-saved-above average that ranks as the NHL's best in that span, according to Natural Stat Trick.

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For those reasons, multiple sources believe New York will eventually increase its offer to ensure Shesterkin sticks around, with the final AAV landing in the $11.5 million-to-$12 million range. One said not to rule out the possibility of that happening in-season, despite conflicting reports of an opening-night deadline.

The Rangers must also factor in other players who will be due for new contracts next year, most notably pending restricted free agents Alexis Lafrenière and K'Andre Miller. They're projected to have around $32.5 million in available cap space for the 2025-26 season, but that's with only 12 players under contract and roughly 10 spots to fill.

Drury has declined to go into specifics, other than stating, "We’re going to do everything we can to make sure (Shesterkin) is here for a long time."

Still, the odds of him becoming a UFA have seemingly increased, which is a nerve-wrecking prospect for the Blueshirts and their fans. The coveted goalie has been tight-lipped about his intentions, making it impossible to know if he's actually willing to leave or posturing to squeeze out more money.

"I love the organization, I love the team, I love the fans," Shesterkin said at the beginning of training camp. "So, of course, it would be great to stay here, but you never know what can happen."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Igor Shesterkin: What stalled contract negotiations mean for NY Rangers