Where can Henrik Lundqvist go?

Henrik Lundqvist is a free agent, bought out by the New York Rangers

Now that the buyout has been completed and Henrik Lundqvist is free to find employment with any team, the question is where the former New York Rangers goaltender will end up.  There’s no easy answer as there are a number of goalies available via trade or free agency.

Martin Biron was on NHL Radio and said that he couldn’t imagine Lundqvist playing for another team.  He said that what makes the most sense is for the future Hall of Famer to end his career in Sweden playing on the same Frölunda team as his twin brother, Joel.

While Sweden is an option, Lundqvist still wants to win that Stanley Cup and before he forsakes the NHL, he will be sure to see what his North American options are.   While he has a lot of competition, he has one thing in his favor.  As the recipient of a buyout payout, he can offer his services to a contender for a basement bargain price.  There’s nothing to stop him from playing for the league minimum, except perhaps, pride.

With the buyout, Lundqvist joins a crowded field of available netminders.  They include fellow free agents Robin Lehner, Anton Khudobin, Jacob Markstrom, Braden Holtby,  Corey Crawford, Craig Anderson,  Jimmy Howard, Thomas Greiss, Cam Talbot,  Mike Condon, Mike Smith and Brian Elliott. There are several notable goaltenders who are known to be trade bait including Marc Andre Fleury and Matt Murray.   The advantage that Lundqvist holds over all of these players is that he can settle for a lower salary due to the buyout.

 What makes the most sense?

Henrik Lundqvist will have no appetite to play for a rebuilding team. At age 38 his Stanley Cup window is closing fast so he will have to gamble that a contender will want his services.  The good news is if you look at the top ten teams in the NHL this past season (by points), most if not all could use a goaltender.

1. Boston Bruins – Seemingly set in goal with Tukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, there have been rumors of the B’s willing to part ways with Rask, especially after he left the bubble while the playoffs were going on.   If they do trade Rask, they will probably look to sign a longterm solution in net, not Lundqvist.
2. St. Louis Blues – This is a viable landing spot for the King as the Blues just traded  backup Jake Allen to Montreal in a cap saving move.  It leaves them with 25 year old rookie Ville Husso behind Jordan Binnington.   If Lundqvist is willing to sign a sweetheart deal, the cap strapped Blues could be really interested.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning – The Stanley Cup champions have workhorse Andrei Vasilevskiy as their starter, but back up Curtis McElhinney is only one year younger than Lundqvist and is an Unrestricted Free Agent.  Is a Ryan McDonagh-Henrik Lundqvist reunion possible?
4. Colorado Avalanche – If Joe Sakic believes that Lundqvist can be a number one goalie or at least share duties, he may believe that he could be a better option than Philipp Grubauer or Pavel Francouz.   The Avs are not happy with their early playoff exit and goaltending has been an issue.  The likelier scenario is that Colorado will go after one of the younger, top goalies available via trade or free agency.
5. Washington Capitals –  This could be an intriguing scenario. The Capitals are looking to part ways with Braden Holtby and hand the number one job to Ilya Samsonov, a veteran of 26 NHL games.  As repugnant as the idea of Lundqvist in a Capitals uniform is, the Caps could see him as a great mentor to their version of Igor Shesterkin.
6. Philadelphia Flyers – The Flyers are another team in need of a backup goalie for their number one, Carter Hart. 35 year old Brian Elliott is a free agent and could Alain Vigneault be interested in reuniting with his former netminder?
7. Pittsburgh Penguins –  It appears the Penguins are going to go with Tristan Jarry as their netminder, with the intent to trade arbitration eligible RFA Matt Murray. The Pens do have 29 year old Casey DeSmith under contract for two more years so they are set with a back up.  Landing in Pittsburgh is probably not an option for Lundqvist.
8. Vegas Golden Knights – Vegas has yet to announce that they have signed Robin Lehner to a multi-year contract as has been reported, but once that happens, their attention will be on finding a taker for Marc-Andre Fleury.   They have a bevy of potential backups making the league minimum,but you cannot rule him out if Lundqvist is willing to take a minimum salary.
9. Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers goaltending situation is a mess.   Many believe that Mikko Koskinen is not a real number one goalie and Mike Smith is 38 years old and an Unrestricted Free Agent.  While it’s hard to imagine Lundqvist in Edmonton, the Oilers are a team that could have a real interest in him.
10. Dallas Stars – Whether Dallas will need help in net will be determined by where Anton Khudobin ends up.  Ben Bishop is still the primary netminder, but Khudobin stepped in and was outstanding in the Stanley Cup playoffs taking the team to six games in the Finals.   It was fortuitous timing as he is a UFA and he may have priced himself out of the Dallas budget.  In that case, Lundqvist could be an option.

The common denominator for these teams is the salary cap. All of these top ten teams except Colorado are in salary cap hell. That makes a future with Henrik Lundqvist very possible.  The minimum NHL salary for 2020-21 is $700,000.   Would Lundqvist be willing to play in the NHL if it meant a realistic shot at the Stanley Cup for that kind of salary?  Only Lundqvist knows.

Another option

If Lundqvist doesn’t want to roll the dice so far ahead of the 2020-21 season, he could decide to risk waiting it out.  He could indeed return to Sweden and sign with Frölunda and play with Joel.  He could do what Justin Williams did this season, sitting out the first three months before signing with the Carolina Hurricanes.

If Lundqvist waits before making a decision, he could gamble that a contender will be hit with injuries and will be looking for reinforcements later in the season.  If he is playing well in Europe, is there a contender in dire need of goaltending depth that wouldn’t consider a playoff veteran like Lundqvist at a bargain basement price?

At any rate, it will be interesting to see what happens when Free Agent Frenzy kicks off on October 9 at noon.  All indications are that teams will be cautious and won’t be climbing over each other to sign players and that could certainly be the case when it comes to goalies.

It’s only a week away.