Any time his name is mentioned in trade talks, it’s usually followed by the phrase, ‘Never going to happen.’ Yet, talk surrounding the New York Rangers goaltenders, more specifically Henrik Lundqvist, doesn’t seem to go away.
The latest report comes from Mike Chambers of The Denver Post who believes Lundqvist could be a perfect target for the Colorado Avalanche.
Why Colorado and Lundqvist?
Apparently, the Avs are growing concerned with the struggles of both of their netminders. Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz have run into somewhat of funk the last few games and with the Avs serious playoff contenders, this is not an ideal time for the netminding to falter. So too, the Avs have a ton of cap space and have been looking for ways to use it before the NHL Trade Deadline on February 24th.
Lundqvist shows as a $8.5 million cap hit but earns just $5.5 million in actual salary for next season. He might make sense financially and he’d certainly give the Avalanche the steady goaltending they’d need in the post-season.
Chambers writes:
Lundqvist could be that guy for the Avs in 2020 or 2021, and the Rangers are undoubtedly looking at trading one of their three goalies. That’s not a typo — New York is carrying three goalies, including two young ones in Alexandar Georgiev, 23, and Igor Shesterkin, 24 — the latter of whom defeated the Avs in his NHL debut Jan. 7 in New York.
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Would Lundqvist Even Consider a Move?
The short answer is no. Still, there might be something enticing about going to Colorado where the team has a really good chance of competing for a Stanley Cup, especially if the team you current play for is looking at a future that doesn’t include you. There are certainly bonuses for the Rangers if they were to move Lundqvist, including picking up a couple of assets before the deadline passes.
It was always expected Lundqvist would retire a Ranger. That remains possible, it would just look a little different in a few years once he leaves and returns, should he choose to do so.
For now, consider this a rumor that isn’t terribly likely. The pieces make sense from a number of perspectives, but at the end of the day, Lundqvist has total control over his situation with full no-move clause and if he doesn’t want to move, he won’t.
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Dov ivry
January 14, 2020 at 1:46 pm
The Rangers are going to have to do something carrying three goalies, Shesterkin, the heir apparent who was the top goalie at the KHL for three years and this year top goalie in the AHL; Georgiev, the goalie who came out of nowhere and earned the backup spot last year with his fine play; and Lundqvist. The speculation has surrounded moving Georgiev, but as a rule he is playing better than Lundqvist. The Rangers are not that far out of a playoff spot and they score a lot of goals led by Panarin, now third in the league. If they go with the best each game, Lundqvist is the odd man out at this writing. Lundqvist will be 38 in March and he still has flashes of his old brilliance and as a backup, he’s one of the best in the league. But in the last four games he’s the only goalie who lost and the only one who wasn’t good. If he sits for a long time while the others play, he himself may ask for trade where he can get some work. No one knows what is going to happen. Georgiev to Toronto seems to be the deal talked about, but why would you want to give up Georgiev especially since Shesterkin has not been up long enough to prove he’s ready, although he won both his starts.