Exclusive | Henrik Lundqvist reflects on Igor Shesterkin-Rangers contract drama he once faced

Life after a 15-year run as the franchise goalie of the New York Rangers is still as busy as ever for Henrik Lundqvist.The King, now 42, is nearly five years removed from his last NHL game, but he continues to be honored for his accomplishments during his decorated career in New York.On Monday night, Lundqvist will attend the 39th annual Great Sports Legends Dinner at the New York Hilton in Midtown.Alongside some of sports most prominent figures such as NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnnson, World Series champion Roger Clemens, NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton and others, Lundqvist said he looks forward to a special night benefiting the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.“I really enjoy life right now, the things I’m doing,” Lundqvist told The Post over the phone Sunday, the serenity in his voice unmistakable.Not too long ago, however, Lundqvist was in the same spot that the Rangers’ current star goalie, Igor Shesterkin, is in now: going into the final year of his contract, without an extension and with the expectation of becoming the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL.Asked what he remembered from that time, the 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee echoed a similar sentiment to the one Shesterkin had when he fielded questions about it at the start of training camp.“As an athlete, you focus on the sports side of things, that’s it,” Lundqvist said.

“It is a business, but you just need to set that aside and focus on what you need to do.That’s it.

You let your team take care of whatever needs to be taken care of.”Lundqvist eventually signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract in December 2013 to become the highest-paid netminder in the league at the time with a cap hit of $8.5 million.A lot has changed since then.The cap has gone up.

The goalie market looks a lot different.And the largest contract for a goalie now belongs to the Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price at $10.5 million per year.Though the pressures and expectations t...