The New York Rangers signed winger to a seven-year contract extension on Friday.
According to an anonymous source familiar with the deal, it’s valued at $52.15 million. The source spoke with The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity, as the terms have not been officially disclosed.
Starting next NHL season and lasting through 2032, His contract will count $7.45 million annually against the salary cap.
Selected first overall in the 2020 draft, He posted career highs last season with 28 goals, 29 assists, and 57 points. This season, the 23-year-old has continued his strong performance, averaging a point per game with seven points in seven games.
He has amassed 178 points over 348 regular-season and playoff games, contributing to the Rangers’ two Eastern Conference Final appearances since his debut.
His cap hit is just below the $7.6 million that Montreal allocated to 2022 top pick Juraj Slafkovsky. By comparison, New Jersey’s 2019 top pick Jack Hughes is earning $8 million annually through 2030, and Buffalo’s 2021 No. 1 pick Rasmus Dahlin is making $11 million per year through 2032.
Although He would have become a restricted free agent this summer, the Rangers have another significant contract to address. Goalie Igor Shesterkin is a pending unrestricted free agent who could enter free agency on July 1 if a new deal isn’t reached.
Shesterkin could potentially sign the most lucrative goaltender contract since the salary cap was implemented, exceeding Carey Price’s eight-year, $84 million deal with Montreal in 2017. Recently, Dallas and Boston each signed their goalies, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman, to eight-year contracts worth $66 million.
The Rangers also sent forward Matt Rempe to their American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford on Thursday. Rempe, who played just over 11 minutes across two games, had been a healthy scratch in the others.
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