NHL Network already angered New York Rangers fans earlier this week when Adam Fox was ranked the league's 16th best defenseman, and their newest slight is even more egregious. The photo choice for this article is to highlight Jonathan Quick, a player who did make NHL Network's list over a Rangers legend who did not.
Introducing the NHL Network's Quarter Century Team! pic.twitter.com/B9Or6GEJVI
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 15, 2025
As you can see, Henrik Lundqvist did not make the list, instead the two goalies selected were the aforementioned Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy, A quick glance at the list suggest that NHL Network is putting more stock into championships, and both goalies listed are champions. While that certainly isn't something to ignore, it's bizarre to ignore how dominant a player Lundqvist was.
Every year there’s at least one awful NHLn list and every year I swear I won’t fall for the rage bait but anyway, Erik Karlsson and Henrik Lundqvist should sue the NHL network for whatever the hell this is https://t.co/GIoTl0uZWe
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) August 16, 2025
In the advanced stats era, 2007 to present, Lundqvist has the most goalie GAR (goals above replacement) with 375.6 and most wins above replacement at 68.9 per Evolving-Hockey. He compiled that in 764 games, and the current No. 2 on the list is Connor Hellebuyck who has 293.6 GAR and 51.6 WAR in 197 fewer games played. Lundqvist's rookie and sophomore season are excluded from Evolving-Hockey's numbers because the data used to calculate these stats wasn't tracked back then.
Lundqvist also leads all goalies with 277.94 goals saved above expected, and once again Hellebuyck comes in second place with 175.89. When looking at goals saved above average, Hellebuyck is No. 1 at 154.66, Vasilevskiy is No. 2 at 133.89, Tuukka Rask is No. 3 with 124.96, and Lundqvist is No. 4 at 119.73.
When looking at traditional numbers, Lundqvist went 459-310-96 in his career with a 2.43 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He is sixth all-time in wins, and remains the winningest European born goaltender. In the playoffs he went 61-67 and posted a 2.30 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 12 playoff campaigns.
From a trophies perspective, Lundqvist only has one Vezina which is a bit laughable, and he also was a Hart Trophy finalist in 2011-12. Quick is the goalie who most likely took his spot because Vasilevskiy is a representative of the modern part of the NHL from the last quarter century.
Quick has a record of 404-290-88 in 804 games with a 2.49 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. In the playoffs he has gone 49-43 with a 2.31 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. His trophy case includes three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, two Jennings Trophies for lowest goals against average, and zero Vezina Trophies.
Quick is a great player who is very likely to join Lundqvist in the Hall of Fame one day, but he hasn't done enough to take Henrik's spot on this quarter century team. Lundqvist is one of the best players ever to step in a goal crease, and an iconic player. Quick has had a very accomplished career, but statistically isn't on the same level as Lundqvist.
He rightly will be remembered for an incredible 2011-12 playoff run when the Los Angeles Kings were the No. 8 seed, but it's hard to place him on this team when he was never acknowledged as being the best goalie in the league during any one season of his career.
There's a reason Lundqvist was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame the first year he was on the ballot. It speaks to the impact he had on the game, and how elite and dominant he was as a player. He dragged numerous Blueshirts squads kicking and screaming to the playoffs, and their inability to score goals when it mattered most shouldn't be held against him.