Fallout from the Lundqvist news

It was shocking news from the former New York Rangers great and there will be some fallout

The fact that Henrik Lundqvist has a heart condition that will keep him from playing this season came as a shock to everyone who follows hockey.   It’s very sad news and we can only wait to see what else will come out about  the nature of the condition.  There is immediate fallout to the announcement.

No Stanley Cup?

While Lundqvist did not rule out a return to hockey at some point, Lundqvist is going to turn 39 years old in March and the odds of him coming back next season are slim, though for a competitor like Lundqvist, you can never rule it out.

If this is it for the Swedish future Hall of Famer, it ends his quest for a Stanley Cup.  By signing with the Capitals, he gave himself a good shot at finally winning a Cup.  Even if he can return to the NHL next fall, the odds that a Cup contender would give a 39 year old goalie who has been away from hockey for a year even a back up slot is doubtful.

Sad for the fans

This news means that hockey fans will be deprived of what would have been one of the great storylines of the 2021 season.  Whenever the Rangers would play the Capitals, if Lundqvist was going to be in net for Washington, the hype machine would have been working overtime.

The reconfigured divisional infrastructure would have meant that the Rangers could have seen Lundqvist in net for Washington a half dozen times or even more.  With this announcement, the single most anticipated game of the 2021 season has just disappeared.

Career records

If Lundqvist is forced to retire, his place in hockey lore is assured. Not only that, it will mean that he only played for the New York Rangers and he will be the all-time leader in every category for a goalie with only one team in his career.

Playing one game with the Caps would have changed that.  Here are the records for Lundqvist for the most with one team in his career:

1. Most games:  887  (Carey Price has 682 with Montreal)
2. Most minutes:  51,816:19 (Price has 40,228:38 )
3. Most wins:  459 (Pekka Rinne has 359 with Nashville)
4. Shutouts:  64 (Rinne has 58)
5. Most 30 -Win seasons:  15 (Rinne has 8)
6. Most 20-Win seasons: 13 (Rinne has 9 )
7. Most shootout wins: 61 (Rinne has 41)
8. Most saves:  23,509 (Price has 18,580)
9. Most shots against:  25,610 (Price has 20,252)
10. Most goals against:  2,101 (Mike Richter second with 1,840)

He knocks Mike Richter out of the Rangers record book and either Carey Price or Pekka Rinne would have had the NHL records (if they only played for Montreal and Nashville).

What about the Capitals?

Henrik Lundqvist was going to be a key piece for the Capitals this season, backing up second year goalie Ilya Samsonov.  The Caps jettisoned veteran Braden Holtby in favor of Samsonov who played 26 games last season.

While the rookie had an outstanding year, Lundqvist would have been there to mentor him and back him up if he falters. Now, the Caps will have to look for another backup goalie with no immediate solutions already in their organization.

With the Rangers in the same cutthroat division as the Capitals, any negative for the Caps has to be a positive for the Blueshirts.

What if?

Okay, you don’t want to even consider this, but what if the Rangers had not bought out Lundqvist and had decided to go with a three goalie system in this shortened season?  The cap impact would have been huge for this season when there is $5.5 million in dead cap space and in 2021-22 when the cap hit will be $1.5 million due to the buyout.

It’s all hindsight, but if Lundqvist had been forced to make this decision while still a Ranger, there would have been some Long Term Injury Relief for the team for his salary.  The NHL formula is incredibly complicated and it’s unclear how much relief they would have been eligible for, but considering the Average Annual Value of his contract would have been $8.5 million, it might have worked out for the team.

And if anyone is hoping that the buyout money comes back because of this, think again.

That said, all of the Rangers’ off-season moves were affected by the buyout so everything would have been different. It didn’t happen and hindsight is great, but it means nothing in the long run.

Final thoughts

It’s still jarring to see Lundqvist in Washington Capitals’ gear and disconcerting to see all of these announcements coming out of the Capitals’ organization. In the minds of Ranger fans, Lundqvist is still a Blueshirt and considering that he will not be donning a Caps jersey, we have to consider this a brief detour in his career as a Ranger.

The good news is that when Lundqvist retires, he will find himself back with the Rangers organization and this news means it could happen even sooner than anyone thought.