The New York Rangers have a good problem. In the future they may have too many good goaltenders.
Alexandar Georgiev is beginning to look like the real deal. After be backstopped the New York Rangers to a 2-1 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs the compliments were fast and furious. Steve Valiquette waxed poetic about Georgiev and his ability. Coach David Quinn couldn’t say enough nice things about his rookie goalie. The irony is that Georgiev’s success is creating a headache for Jeff Gorton and the Rangers’ management team.
Problem number one: The incumbent
Henrik Lundqvist is still undeniably the face of the New York Rangers and the number one goaltender. He makes $8.5 million per year and has two years left on his contract. He is also 37 years old and his best days are behind him.
Lundqvist has a firm no movement clause in his contract and has made it clear he isn’t going anywhere. He is willing to stick out the rebuild and fulfill the last years of his deal.
This season he is having the worst year of his storied career. His goals against average is in danger of finishing north of 3.00 and his save percentage of .909 could be the lowest of his career. For the first time in 14 years, Lundqvist may finish the season without a shutout.
It’s not all bad news. Lundqvist’s percentage of quality starts is almost 60%, eighth best among goalies who have appeared in 40 games. When he is on his game, he can carry the team. In a stretch of 12 decisions in the fall, he finished 8-2-2 with a save percentage of .928, near his career best and his GAA was 2.41.
Clearly, the sun is setting on a brilliant career, but the undeniable fact is that he will be a New York Ranger for two more years. To his credit, he has shown that he is willing to share the spotlight and recognizes that he cannot play every game.
Problem number two: The kid
To say that Alexandar Georgiev has been impressive at times is an understatement. His last two starts against the Maple Leafs can be used in a goaltending textbook. The issue with the young Bulgarian is that he has also had a number of bad starts. For every Toronto start, there is a start like his last game in Calgary when he allowed five goals on 32 shots.
He has had some stinkers. He allowed seven goals to Columbus, six goals to Colorado and Pittsburgh and five goals to Montreal and the Flames. To be honest, he’s had more bad games than Lundqvist. 44% of his starts have been quality starts, compared to 59% for Lundqvist.
Both Georgiev and Lundqvist get forgiveness for their bad games due to the mediocre Ranger defense. Both goalies have been burned multiple times. Lundqvist has faced over 40 shots 11 times this season, Georgiev has faced 40 shots or more in six games.
Stinkers aside, it’s obvous that Alexandar Georgiev has a future as an NHL goalie and could conceivably be the Rangers’ goalie of the future. He’s getting a solid audition this season and so far, he has been passing all tests.