If the Rangers cut Henrik Lundqvist loose, there's a significant chance that decision comes back to bite them.
Imagine this scenario: Lundqvist is bought out by the Rangers, Braden Holtby leaves the Metropolitan Division rival Washington Capitals, and King Henrik goes on to sign a league-minimum contract with the Caps and beats out the competition to win Washington's No. 1 goaltender gig. Suddenly, the greatest Ranger goaltender of all-time is on the opposite end of the rink competing against the Blueshirts, during the regular season and possibly the playoffs.
This is the definition of playing with fire. Lundqvist proved that he wasn't "past it" by turning away 34 of 37 shots (.919 save percentage) in Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoff qualifying round, a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Though he allowed a less-than-stellar four goals on 34 shots against (.882 save percentage) in Game 2, his overall play in the two playoff starts put out plenty of fires caused by a deficient and turnover-prone blue line.
When Igor Shesterkin was able to dress for Game 3, he didn't fare much better.
Shesterkin allowed three goals on 27 shots against (.900 save percentage) as the Rangers were swept in three games. The 24-year-old rookie is undoubtedly the Rangers' new franchise goaltender regardless of whether Lundqvist remains in New York or not, but I'd be willing to bet Lundqvist still has something left in the tank and can contribute in the right situation.
The Rangers are yet to recapture the kind of stout defending that saw the franchise reach consecutive Eastern Conference Finals in 2014 and 2015. Declining returns from aging veterans and the decision to flip the switch to full rebuild mode in 2018 robbed Lundqvist of any opportunity for a late-career Stanley Cup charge with the team that was fortunate to draft him 205th overall in 2000.
Shesterkin will be the recipient of a strong supporting cast when the Rangers' rebuilding efforts reach fruition. A team built around Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, K'Andre Miller, Nils Lundkvist, Alexis Lafrenière, and Shesterkin sounds like a potential contender.
If Lundqvist were to join a contending team, I'm inclined to believe that he would play closer to his career save percentage of .918 than his combined .906 save percentage of the past two seasons. If you study Lundqvist's career closely, there were only rare intervals where the Rangers played possession-strong hockey and had enough, albeit limited, offensive firepower to embark on deep playoff runs.
During the best years under John Tortorella, the Rangers were built to play black-and-blue, defense-first hockey. A tremendous burden was placed on Lundqvist's shoulders to be nearly perfect for 60 minutes, and ultimately, this grinding style and Tortorella's unflinching belief in it was unsustainable.
The arrival of Alain Vigneault sparked the Blueshirts toward playing exciting, fast-paced hockey. Shrewd depth acquisitions – Benoit Pouliot, Dominic Moore and Derek Dorsett come to mind – allowed the Rangers to roll four lines effectively, but the crucial errors of overpaying solid but not-quite-elite defensemen and allowing undervalued possession-driver Anton Stralman to walk out the door sabotaged the Rangers' ascent. Vigneault leaned too heavily on underperforming veterans and refused to alter defensive tactics that produced comically-bad results.
If the Rangers reach their full potential under David Quinn, it will be a shame that Lundqvist won't be there to experience it. In hockey and in life, success can partially be attributed to being in the right place at the right time.
Similar to past New York icons Patrick Ewing and Don Mattingly, Lundqvist revitalized a franchise that had fallen on hard times and carried his team on his back without achieving the crowning success of a championship ring.
Unlike Ewing and Mattingly, Lundqvist's final years haven't been dragged down by injuries. He's still got something to offer, even at age 38 and after a few subpar seasons.
Stick him on a team with A-1 stars like Washington's Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, and he'll have a chance for a final chapter resurgence and a storybook ending.
Follow Sean Hartnett on Twitter: @HartnettHockey
