As the New York Rangers prepare to take the ice this week to kick off the NHL season, one of the common concerns is the goaltending.
After a long, often challenging season last year, the New York Rangers are fully invested in rebuilding. The thought of playoffs is far and away not a realistic expectation. Franchise goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, is approaching age 37 this coming March.
Another rough preseason presents more speculation regarding his ability to play at the elite level that the team is used to. Is this truly the last year Lundqvist can be a viable starting option, or has the goaltender been a victim of circumstance?
Not too far behind Lundqvist, is the Rangers 22-year-old backup Alexandar Georgiev. The young Bulgarian net-minder was named to the opening night roster, and he seems the best option to sit behind Lundqvist. Georgiev made his first impressions in 2017-18 filling in for an injured Ondrej Pavelec. Georgiev was an undrafted free agent signing last summer and played most of the 2017-2018 season in the minors.
Adding another young goaltender to the mix may throw a monkey wrench into the organization’s long term plans at the position. The expectation was that goaltending prospect Igor Shestyorkin would come over to North America following one more season in the KHL. But, now with Georgiev in front of him, this may change the timeline.
As for now, the team has two goaltenders they should feel comfortable with.
So how are things going to play out in the crease this season?
Henrik Lundqvist
It is without a doubt that the arguments the trial of Lundqvist has begun for the 13th time. In 61 starts last season, Lundqvist posted a record of 26-26. That is two more wins than his career low during the 2012-13 lockout season. Lundqvist nearly had a career high number in losses, finishing the season just one shy of his career high of 27.
Lundqvist posted a career high 2.98 goals against average, which for this particular stat is not positive. The league average for G.A.A. during the 2017-2018 season was 2.77, two tenths of a goal less than Lundqvist.
In 2017-18, Lundqvist faced 2036 shots against, over the span of 63 games, 61 of which were starts. This averages out to about 32 shots per game. The New York Rangers were second in the league for shots allowed per game. The 2016-17 season had a very different complexion. In 57 games (55 starts), Lundqvist faced 1650 shots against. That averages to 28.9. If the argument is that three shots cannot change the stats of a goaltender, take into account that five shots can send you from #2 to #15 in shots allowed.
It is impossible to fairly analyze Lundqvist without using the context surrounding him. The goaltender played behind the worst team of his entire career and it showed. If a goalie is getting shelled every single night, it’s unrealistic to expect the same level of play as usual.
It wont be fair to judge how Lundqvist is playing until at least the middle of November.
Alexandar Georgiev
The questions surrounding Lundqvist can only put Georgiev in an absolutely crucial position. It is near undeniable that a “goaltender controversy” will appear and last throughout the month of October and for likely most of November. It usually takes Lundqvist a little while to get into the flow of the season.
Georgiev very well may see a much larger role this year. Pavelec started 12 games last season before his injury. It would be fair to assume Georgiev will be starting somewhere between 12 and 20 games depending on how coach Quinn feels about Lundqvist’s workload.
Unlike last season, the coach is not going to use the Swedish goaltender as a sacrificial lamb in hopes of saving his job. It was obvious last year that then head coach Alain Vigneault was running Lundqvist into the ground with way too many starts too early in the season.
This does however present the Rangers an opportunity to evaluate Georgiev going forward using a variety of criteria. Does the Bulgarian goaltender make sense to keep around for the long term? Or is he more valuable as a piece to be developed and eventually shopped?
A small sample size does not give much insight into Georgiev’s game, despite that, the limited action he did get should be encouraging. The goaltender played exceptionally well considering the circumstances around him. A 22-year-old rookie making his NHL debut survived playing behind an outright horrendous team.
Both Lundqvist and Georgiev are in for a surprise with a new coaching situation. It will take time before the skaters on the team are entirely comfortable with the team’s new system. So, expect a slow start to the season that will be built upon over the course of the year.