Rangers Play Cap Gymnastics With Igor Shesterkin's LTIR Status

The New York Rangers just put Igor Shesterkin on Long-Term Injured Reserve, but they made sure to leave the back door unlocked.

NHL salary cap gymnastics are basically a dark art at this point, and the Rangers are playing the hits. According to Frank Seravalli, the team placed their star goaltender on LTIR but specifically kept him off the season-ending list.

"Frank Seravalli reported the move and compared it to Dallas' handling of Tyler Seguin."

This is the exact same accounting trick the Dallas Stars pulled with Tyler Seguin last year when they desperately needed financial breathing room. You stash the injured star, take the immediate relief, and figure out the rest later.

By making this specific move, New York instantly unlocks $3.97 million in cap space to play with. If they eventually shift Shesterkin to the season-ending list, they get his full cap hit to spend, but that officially kills any chance of a dramatic return to the crease.

Right now, the front office is just buying time and flexibility. They get enough cash to go shopping for a patch job without formally ending their best player's season.

But for anyone looking at the odds board, a Rangers team without its franchise goaltender is a completely different animal. They just dropped a 3-1 game to the Washington Capitals after stringing together a couple of solid wins, proving that life without Shesterkin is going to be an uphill climb.

New York hosts the Vancouver Canucks next. We will see if that new $3.97 million in pocket change turns into an immediate roster move, or if the front office is just delaying the hardest decision of their year.