When it comes to all-time greats, Rangers fans know the answer is Henrik Lundqvist

This week on Twitter has been all about NHL goalies, and multiple outlets have been sharing fun facts, highlights, and asking questions for fans to answer. One such question got a considerable amount of attention on Friday afternoon, and was bumped up again following a trade between the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens.

The answer to this question is a no doubter, and that of course is Henrik Lundqvist. It's not much of a debate in all honesty, and it becomes very clear when you look at the date. The NHL' s advanced stats are based on all numbers tracked since 2007, and that' s important because it excludes the first two seasons of Lundqvist's career. But even with those two seasons missing, Lundqvist blows Price out of the water.

Henrik Lundqvist is in a league of his own

In 764 games Lundqvist was worth 375.6 goalie GAR according to Evolving-Hockey, or 68.9 wins above replacement. In 712 games Price was worth 239.4 goalie GAR or 44.1 wins above replacement.
Lundqvist is the current all-time leader in both stats, and in second place is Connor Hellebuyck who sits at 293.6 and 51.6 respectively.

On top of that, Lundqvist has 119.73 goals saved above average, and 277.94 goals saved above expected, again from Evolving-Hockey. Price posted a 99.05 and a 51.48 respectively. In the playoffs, Lundqvist had a 16.99 GSAA, and a 54.44 GSAx to Price's 5.19 GSAA and -1.22 GSAx, and that speaks to how clutch the Hockey Hall of Famer was for the Blueshirts when it mattered most.

Traditional numbers favor Lundqvist too

The traditional numbers also are quite good for Lundqvist, and he ended his career with 459 wins, 64 shutouts, a 2.43 goals against average, and a .918 save percentage. He also won 61 playoff games and posted a 2.30 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and 10 shutouts.

Price finished with 361 wins, 49 shutouts, a 2.51 goals against average, and a .917 save percentage. He won 43 playoff games and posted a 2.39 goals against average, a .919 save percentage, and eight shutouts.

Where Price deserves recognition

The one thing that fans of Price will point out is his 2014-15 season in which he won the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson trophy as the league's MVP and most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA. That season he went 44-16-6 with a 1.96 goals against average and a .933 save percentage in 66 games. That year he also took home the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie.

Lundqvist was a finalist for the Hart Trophy during the 2011-12 season and went 39-18-5 with a 1.97 goals against average, and a .930 save percentage in 62 games. Had he appeared in more games, there's a chance he could have won over 40 games and that would have stood out a little more.

Evgeni Malkin won the Hart that season because he stepped up when Sidney Crosby missed significant time due to a concussion, and from a narrative standpoint he had a lot of support. It also didn't help Lundqvist that Jonathan Quick had an equally strong season, and that helped siphon votes away.

Lundqvist is the clear choice, had Price remained healthy it could have been interesting

Ultimately, Lundqvist is easily the better goaltender, but it could have been a closer race had Price had a longer career. Lundqvist was forced to retire after his age 37 season, a campaign in which he was limited to just 30 games.

Price hasn't played since his age 34 season, and that year he appeared in just five games and went 1-4-0. He is now 38 years old, a year older than when Lundqvist retired, and if he had been able to play the past few seasons he might have bridged the gap.

No one should take anything away from Price and what he accomplished, but Lundqvist was easily the better goaltender, and his induction to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot reinforces that. It remains to be seen what happens with Price.