New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist has earned the right to choose his future

New York Rangers owner James Dolan recently revealed that the team gave Henrik Lundqvist the option of being traded at this years deadline. Obviously, Lundqvist decided to stay put.

Rebuilding a hockey team can go one of two ways. A team can follow the Buffalo Sabres route and say every year is a rebuilding year. Or, you can be the Philadelphia Flyers and turn things around in two seasons. Point being, rebuilding is a combination of both strategy and luck. It’s a matter of fact that things have to break your way to be a good team in the NHL.

The Rangers haven’t had to truly rebuild since Henrik Lundqvist came over to the United States prior to the 2005-2006 season. There have been roster overhauls, but for the most part, they weren’t far off. Now, for the first time in his career, Lundqvist has an unproven group in front of him. After this abomination of a season, it’s a testament to his loyalty that he wants to stick it out.

Furthermore, it means the front office recognized the inevitable. Barring a miracle, Lundqvist is not going to win a Stanley Cup with the Rangers. Even with that lingering reality, the goaltender wants to stand by the organization that took a chance on him back in the 2000 entry draft.

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Now, expecting Lundqvist to be the player he was five years ago is unrealistic. This season was the most grueling experience of his career and he still managed to be respectable behind a bad team. Going forward, he’s only going to be less able to preform on a high level consistently.

Earning it

Lundqvist is one of the iconic players in the history of the Rangers franchise. In the past, I’ve personally argued that he’s the best player to ever put on the sweater for the organization. It is a realistic complaint that Lundqvist is overpaid at $8.5 million per season. When Lundqvist signed the deal midway through the 2014-2015 season, the Rangers knew they were paying for the front half of the deal.

They were a team in the midst of multiple runs at the Stanley Cup. Every move the team made between 2012 and 2017 was made with the intention of winning the Cup that season. The long term considerations were put aside for a five year period. That is why the front office needed to tear things down at the deadline this season. The prospect pool was barren and not going to be enough to support the NHL level talent any time soon.

The Rangers expectations for next season are very much up in the air. Depending on how the draft lottery goes, what moves they make this summer and who the new coach is, will dictate the goals. No matter what though, Lundqvist will be the starting goaltender and expected to start somewhere in the ballpark of 50 games.

Lundqvist has earned the right to see things through. By the end of his contract, the Swede will have played more than 16 seasons in a Rangers sweater and likely won more than 500 games. Depending on how much longer Roberto Luongo plays, Lundqvist could be sitting at third all time in wins.

Legacy

Point being, the goaltender has paid more than enough to the franchise. The team’s success this past decade was due to Lundqvist. Every single season the argument for the Rangers as contenders was, they’ve got Lundqvist. Furthermore, when constructing the roster, the front office used the goaltender as a bandaid. If the team didn’t have the offense, they’d win every game 2-1. If the defense was poor, they’d try to score four goals expecting Lundqvist to only give up three.

It’s obvious that finishing his career with New York is important to him personally. Lundqvist has bonded with the organization and city on so many levels that they’re intertwined. The organization uses Lundqvist as the face of the Garden of Dreams foundation for a reason.

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Some day in the not too distant future, the Rangers will retire Lundqvist’s number 30 to the Madison Square Garden rafters. This is his organization as much as anyone else’s and he’s earned the right to ride out the storm in hopes of sneaking his way into a Stanley Cup.