Player Discussion Henrik Lundqvist: Part II

[Thirty One]

Just glanced through the article, and there doesn't seem to be anything to expressly prohibit Hank from retiring and then picking up a job with the team for $5M...on his own accord. You are certainly right that there are circumvention rules about a team getting a player to retire with the incentive of a team job or something.

26.15(e) says exactly this.

However, again, I think that this can easily be hand-waved away by the player and team as the player doing it on their own accord, assuming they legitimately do it that way.

Would it look extremely shady? Hell yes.

Do I think the NHL would actually put forth an investigation on this, considering the amount of press and whatnot that has been surrounding this, and it, at least, looks like he will legitimately retire after this season? No.

If Hank retires in a few weeks and then doesn't take a job until February, no one would bat an eye.

It doesn't expressly prohibit it, no. But it states the examples they comprise a non-exhaustive list, because obviously they can't list all potential cases of circumvention. The Kovalchuk contract wasn't expressly prohibited, either, and Lundqvist walking away from $5.5 million and agreeing to an entry-level front office position for $5 million makes dwarfs that offense. There's no way they would try it, and if they did, there's no way they keep their upcoming first round picks.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, we're not going to convince the league it's a pigeon.

 

[eco's bones]

The KHL season is also 20 games less than an NHL season so that changes the context somewhat. I'm sure he's fine to do 55-60 games and the playoffs.

A bigger question is can he stay as healthy as Lundqvist did during his career?

I always like how sure people are. It does make me feel better.

The KHL is a great league but NHL games if anything are a bit more intense and the schedule is more condensed with less time to rest. And we're not just talking 55-60 games--that's only the first part if the team has any success. Shesterkin's highest number of 51 games includes 19 playoff games that same year in the MHL which is a junior league. So really he only played 32 regular season games that year. So if he plays 60 games and is burned out for the first round because he's kind of in uncharted territory for him that's not his fault--that's having a shitty goaltending plan coming out of the gate.

And how is Henrik the backup going to feel about those 6/7/8 months in his single person sequestered and bubbled hotel room knowing he's hardly ever going to get to play. I'm thinking he's not going to like anything about that at all. It's going to be a punishment for him so he might as well just retire.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I always like how sure people are. It does make me feel better.

The KHL is a great league but NHL games if anything are a bit more intense and the schedule is more condensed with less time to rest. And we're not just talking 55-60 games--that's only the first part if the team has any success. Shesterkin's highest number of 51 games includes 19 playoff games that same year in the MHL which is a junior league. So really he only played 32 regular season games that year. So if he plays 60 games and is burned out for the first round because he's kind of in uncharted territory for him that's not his fault--that's having a shitty goaltending plan coming out of the gate.

And how is Henrik the backup going to feel about those 6/7/8 months in his single person sequestered and bubbled hotel room knowing he's hardly ever going to get to play. I'm thinking he's not going to like anything about that at all. It's going to be a punishment for him so he might as well just retire.

The KHL also spans 10 timezones which is something that is never brought up when it comes to traveling.

 

[nevesis]

Goaltending in the NHL is analogous to pitching in MLB. If you don't have enough of it you're not going far.

This is the furthest thing from the truth and reminds me of this quote from CBJ’s goaltending coach.

In reality, as Columbus Blue Jackets goaltending coach Ian Clark once explained, the position may be too dynamic for one definitive statistical measure because there are so many outside variables which can affect each goalie's statistical performance.

"Goalies react to the hand dealt to them; they don't get to control play," Clark said. "Unlike a quarterback or a pitcher, who gets to control and dictate the play, goaltenders are recipients of the play, and as such there is a huge impact on how the team plays in front of them and statistical outcomes.

"Sergei Bobrovsky, Henrik Lundqvist and Tuukka Rask all face completely different things and have no control over it, whereas Peyton Manning controls what is going on over his playing surface when he lines up behind the ball. That affects statistics, and that is one of the reasons goaltending is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to using pure numbers."

Goaltending does not exist in a vacuum. Team play is a part of every goalie's success, and the biggest factor in success is the quality of shots faced.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

This is the furthest thing from the truth and reminds me of this quote from CBJ’s goaltending coach.

Goaltending is more like a kicker of punter in football. And what I mean by that is that the difference between an elite and good player in that position doesn't impact the game as much as the difference between an elite and good top-pair D-man/top line center. In the salary cap era, we see teams with "okay" goalies win cups all the time because of how that team is structured, while the best goalies are left empty-handed in Lundqvist, Price, Luongo, Bobrovsky, Rinne etc.

An elite goalie gets you more than a good goalie, but is that little bit of extra enough to warrant the extra money, and therefore handcuffing yourself elsewhere? I think goalies in general should never make more than 7% of the salary cap. As much as we all love Lundqvist, and he is a hall of fame goalie, his contract has limited the Rangers options in terms of adding the right pieces in free agency, the same way Montreal has experienced with Price.

I'm sure people will come at me for saying this and call me a "Hank hater" but goalie is really not that important if you have stellar defense. If the Rangers had decent defense, Lundqvist has 3 rings and 3 Vezinas.

 

[haohmaru]

I always like how sure people are. It does make me feel better.

I'm not sure if this is sarcastic or not. It always makes me feel better, too, when fans make baseless speculations about world class athletes who are 24 years old. There's no reason to think that a traditional NHL goalie workload (55ish games + playoffs) is too much for Shesterkin, and, if it is, then that's just as much cause for concern, or more, than who the freaking backup is.

The KHL is a great league but NHL games if anything are a bit more intense and the schedule is more condensed with less time to rest. And we're not just talking 55-60 games--that's only the first part if the team has any success. Shesterkin's highest number of 51 games includes 19 playoff games that same year in the MHL which is a junior league. So really he only played 32 regular season games that year. So if he plays 60 games and is burned out for the first round because he's kind of in uncharted territory for him that's not his fault--that's having a shitty goaltending plan coming out of the gate.

Like I said above - if he can't handle a starter's workload then that's worrisome.

And how is Henrik the backup going to feel about those 6/7/8 months in his single person sequestered and bubbled hotel room knowing he's hardly ever going to get to play. I'm thinking he's not going to like anything about that at all. It's going to be a punishment for him so he might as well just retire.

I'm not worried about Henrik's feelings. If he's not content being the backup (which, at this point, is deserved) and all that comes with it then he should retire and play in Frolunda.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Goaltending is more like a kicker of punter in football. And what I mean by that is that the difference between an elite and good player in that position doesn't impact the game as much as the difference between an elite and good top-pair D-man/top line center. In the salary cap era, we see teams with "okay" goalies win cups all the time because of how that team is structured, while the best goalies are left empty-handed in Lundqvist, Price, Luongo, Bobrovsky, Rinne etc.

An elite goalie gets you more than a good goalie, but is that little bit of extra enough to warrant the extra money, and therefore handcuffing yourself elsewhere? I think goalies in general should never make more than 7% of the salary cap. As much as we all love Lundqvist, and he is a hall of fame goalie, his contract has limited the Rangers options in terms of adding the right pieces in free agency, the same way Montreal has experienced with Price.

I'm sure people will come at me for saying this and call me a "Hank hater" but goalie is really not that important if you have stellar defense. If the Rangers had decent defense, Lundqvist has 3 rings and 3 Vezinas.

I disagree, Philly has tried this over and over again, it doesn't work. I'm not a Hank hugger at this point, love him for what he has done here but time to move on. I always hated his contract, but to be honest it wasn't his contract that held us back it was the bad contracts we gave out willy nilly, Staal, Girardi, Shattenkirk, etc. If hank had left 2 mill on the table last time we'd probably have Zuc here for 7 years, we would have found a way to not spend it effectively anyway. Atleast up until recently Hank was earning his check, it was just 2 years too long.

 

[eco's bones]

I'm not sure if this is sarcastic or not. It always makes me feel better, too, when fans make baseless speculations about world class athletes who are 24 years old. There's no reason to think that a traditional NHL goalie workload (55ish games + playoffs) is too much for Shesterkin, and, if it is, then that's just as much cause for concern, or more, than who the freaking backup is.



Like I said above - if he can't handle a starter's workload then that's worrisome.



I'm not worried about Henrik's feelings. If he's not content being the backup (which, at this point, is deserved) and all that comes with it then he should retire and play in Frolunda.

At least I agree with some of this. I think there are two roads for our goaltending to go--1. No 1. goaltender, very good backup 2. two No. 1 worthy goalies sharing more or less equally.

The problem with backup goalies is usually the quality drops a bit. They're there so your main guy doesn't burn out and maybe take the easier games. It is essential if you're going to have a good team--a playoff team these days that your backup wins more often than he loses--that is unless you're figuring your starter to play 65 games or more + playoffs.

The problem with the more or less sharing equally might mainly come down to cap issues. You can't really afford to pay top dollar to two guys who are each playing only half your games. Still if you can make it work there is no real drop in quality even against weaker teams and you're incentivizing the goalies always to be at their best so as not to lose their starts.

Where Igor is now you can try to build him towards that and 50 or so games + playoffs next year is a step in that direction. Maybe the season after 55 and playoffs. Rangers fans are more use to No. 1's but it doesn't have to be that way. But it's been a while (Van Biesbrouck/Richter) since they've had a tandem that really shared the load. Other teams do exactly that though like Colorado, Pittsburgh, Vegas or the situation now in Washington that will probably push Holtby out. Columbus seems to be moving in that direction as well. It's just a thought.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I can go either way this year as long as it doesn't include a buyout for hank, either trade, retire or keep him and move Georgiev for a 2nd in this draft and if you can get more great.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Goaltending is more like a kicker of punter in football. And what I mean by that is that the difference between an elite and good player in that position doesn't impact the game as much as the difference between an elite and good top-pair D-man/top line center. In the salary cap era, we see teams with "okay" goalies win cups all the time because of how that team is structured, while the best goalies are left empty-handed in Lundqvist, Price, Luongo, Bobrovsky, Rinne etc.

An elite goalie gets you more than a good goalie, but is that little bit of extra enough to warrant the extra money, and therefore handcuffing yourself elsewhere? I think goalies in general should never make more than 7% of the salary cap. As much as we all love Lundqvist, and he is a hall of fame goalie, his contract has limited the Rangers options in terms of adding the right pieces in free agency, the same way Montreal has experienced with Price.

I'm sure people will come at me for saying this and call me a "Hank hater" but goalie is really not that important if you have stellar defense. If the Rangers had decent defense, Lundqvist has 3 rings and 3 Vezinas.

I don't view this as a Hank hater post. It has a lot of merit. With that said, I never got the feeling in his 15 years that Lundqvist's contract was hamstringing the Rangers from assembling the necessary talent around him. They just didn't do that great of a job with it, especially when it came to developing and/or acquiring the elite position players necessary for a cup. Even the 2014 was a bit "death by a thousand paper cuts" with their depth, but it was still a roster lacking in elite talent.

 

[eco's bones]

I think Henrik has reached the point where he's relatively done as a relevant NHL goaltender. His contract is also an issue. It's a tricky situation for the FO--this guy has done the blood, sweat and tears thing for us and even if we didn't win a cup he was easily our best player for a decade and a slam dunk HOF'er. That kind of puts the upper management if the decision comes down to them in a between a rock and a hard place situation. If Henrik makes the decision to retire it's easier for everybody. If the front office decides to buy him out they're going to get dogged for being mean and if nothing happens we're going have a very expensive and very average backup goaltender.

If you want to make the playoffs next year I would say the Rangers need to part ways with Henrik as an active duty player. If you don't care if we make the playoffs then keep him. We won't have the cap $'s needed to upgrade our team enough and we'll have a backup goalie who won't be any help keeping our winning % above .500.

As for trading Georgiev for a 2nd--a 2nd probably isn't going to play for our team for 2/3 years at the earliest. There is a good chance he won't ever be a top 6 forward or a top 4 defenseman. The Rangers future is getting closer to 'now'. We can see a team coming together--why keep putting 'now' off?

 

[NYSPORTS]

I disagree, Philly has tried this over and over again, it doesn't.

nice work

Philly has been trying for many years to find a goalie. They may have found him.

 

[eco's bones]

nice work

Philly has been trying for many years to find a goalie. They may have found him.

FWIW for the people who say never draft a goalie early Hart was a mid-2nd rounder and a really f***ing shrewd pick. The Flyers would not be where they are now without him. The Flyers picked two other guys before him Rubtsov and Laberge. Rubtsov's been wallowing in the AHL for a while and Laberge split last season between the AHL and the ECHL. To me you pick a goalie early if he's the right goalie and there's one this year and his name is Askarov and he's going to be good. I expect whichever team picks him is going to be happy about that pick years down the road.

 

[NYSPORTS]

The KHL also spans 10 timezones which is something that is never brought up when it comes to traveling.

hmm, never knew or thought about that

 

[Chimpradamus]

The delusions on this forum. You think throwing Lundqvist out in the gutters will make a difference? One year? This team is many pieces away from becoming a contender. "Can we cheat the system, buy him out and give him 5 million dollar salary behind the back as a consultant?". No, the NHLPA and the NHL have strict rules about that. If you could make Hank agree on it, they could. If he retired now and got hired in feburary, maybe. But with Hank and how he thinks? Forget it. He's the soldier who would charge even if he knew he would die. Why do you think he got so good? You think you can make a HHOF goalie change his mind because of different circumstances after 15 years of that mindset? He's one of the most stubborn hockey players I've ever seen.

"Will he retire?" f*** no. This is Lundqvist you're talking about. He has been the epithome of consistency in the NHL for 1½ decade. He has refused to go at least twice while other prominent players disappeared to the left and right. He started as a Ranger and will retire a Ranger. He's an old school player and he is loyal to a fault. Why do you think he became SO GOOD, apart from talent? Will power. An unbreakable mind. More than 95% of all NHL goalies don't have what Hank has in the mind. Why do you think he's so well dressed and care even off the ice? Because he has a ridiculous drive to make other people like and appreciate him for what he does. As he's Swedish I cannot call him a narcissist at all (maybe partly American?), but he still wants appreciation for giving everything for his career, his way.

He will not retire. He will not be satisfied as a backup. He will still continune training hard to earn his starts. How he thinks should be obvious to all Rangers fans. What I find so pathetic is how fast you all turned on him. All you care about is getting him out of here. Sure, let's ignore all he did for this franchise. How he wasn't even overpaid - even now - for all he did for this franchise. Maybe the one and only not being overpaid during 15 years. And you can't wait to get rid of him, somehow. Why?

Do you actually believe if Lundqvist is gone, this team will be a contender? Are you f***ing kidding me? The center depth is weak as hell. The backend is still in shambles with corpses and lasting contracts that you should hope more for to be gone. The wingers aren't exactly great. What is the great revelation here for how getting rid of a dynasty goalie? Why is getting rid of him so important? Tell me.

I just want to express my utter distain for the tone in this forum when the ADHD mongrels have found their new saviour - that has not even proven himself yet - to continue covering the glaring holes in the teams to become successful. And like that will be even a chance of a continuation of an era Lundqvist played in.

Things have changed, alot. Lundqvist has been quoted on, that the slap shots when he started are like the wrist shots of today in terms of felt velocity as a goalie. Shooters have become so good and so accurate with the flexing sticks. You cannot rely on a goalie in 2020. You only need him to to his thing, while all the others need to do theirs, much more than when Lundqvist was the backbone of the NYR.

Hence, the team has to really form a strong team in front of the goalie to be able to win - and prevent the crazy good shooters from doing their thing. Even bottom liners can snipe with rockets today if given the chance. But the contract of the legendary goalie is SO important? For one more year in the sorry state the team is still in? Give me a break. This NYR team is at least half a decade - or even more - from being a true contender.

But you want to treat him exactly like Leetch, for nothing. Go ahead. I won't fault you for it, it's New York. But then I will be absolutely done with this team and all the other big money teams. They will be doomed and it will be their own fault. All money, no soul. And a serious lack of thinking blinded by the money.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

The delusions on this forum. You think throwing Lundqvist out in the gutters will make a difference? One year? This team is many pieces away from becoming a contender. "Can we cheat the system, buy him out and give him 5 million dollar salary behind the back as a consultant?". No, the NHLPA and the NHL have strict rules about that. If you could make Hank agree on it, they could. If he retired now and got hired in feburary, maybe. But with Hank and how he thinks? Forget it. He's the soldier who would charge even if he knew he would die. Why do you think he got so good? You think you can make a HHOF goalie change his mind because of different circumstances after 15 years of that mindset? He's one of the most stubborn hockey players I've ever seen.

"Will he retire?" f*** no. This is Lundqvist you're talking about. He has been the epithome of consistency in the NHL for 1½ decade. He has refused to go at least twice while other prominent players disappeared to the left and right. He started as a Ranger and will retire a Ranger. He's an old school player and he is loyal to a fault. Why do you think he became SO GOOD, apart from talent? Will power. An unbreakable mind. More than 95% of all NHL goalies don't have what Hank has in the mind. Why do you think he's so well dressed and care even off the ice? Because he has a ridiculous drive to make other people like and appreciate him for what he does. As he's Swedish I cannot call him a narcissist at all (maybe partly American?), but he still wants appreciation for giving everything for his career, his way.

He will not retire. He will not be satisfied as a backup. He will still continune training hard to earn his starts. How he thinks should be obvious to all Rangers fans. What I find so pathetic is how fast you all turned on him. All you care about is getting him out of here. Sure, let's ignore all he did for this franchise. How he wasn't even overpaid - even now - for all he did for this franchise. Maybe the one and only not being overpaid during 15 years. And you can't wait to get rid of him, somehow. Why?

Do you actually believe if Lundqvist is gone, this team will be a contender? Are you f***ing kidding me? The center depth is weak as hell. The backend is still in shambles with corpses and lasting contracts that you should hope more for to be gone. The wingers aren't exactly great. What is the great revelation here for how getting rid of a dynasty goalie? Why is getting rid of him so important? Tell me.

I just want to express my utter distain for the tone in this forum when the ADHD mongrels have found their new saviour - that has not even proven himself yet - to continue covering the glaring holes in the teams to become successful. And like that will be even a chance of a continuation of an era Lundqvist played in.

Things have changed, alot. Lundqvist has been quoted on, that the slap shots when he started are like the wrist shots of today in terms of felt velocity as a goalie. Shooters have become so good and so accurate with the flexing sticks. You cannot rely on a goalie in 2020. You only need him to to his thing, while all the others need to do theirs, much more than when Lundqvist was the backbone of the NYR.

Hence, the team has to really form a strong team in front of the goalie to be able to win - and prevent the crazy good shooters from doing their thing. Even bottom liners can snipe with rockets today if given the chance. But the contract of the legendary goalie is SO important? For one more year in the sorry state the team is still in? Give me a break. This NYR team is at least half a decade - or even more - from being a true contender.

But you want to treat him exactly like Leetch, for nothing. Go ahead. I won't fault you for it, it's New York. But then I will be absolutely done with this team and all the other big money teams. They will be doomed and it will be their own fault. All money, no soul. And a serious lack of thinking blinded by the money.

Amazing how you miss what this entire debate is about.

Lundqvist retiring doesn't make us a contender immediately, as you suggest some people think. What it does do is give Gorton the cap space to keep the players currently on the team and not be in a situation where we are forced to dump players for pennies on the dollar.

8.5m cap space makes a HUGE difference. It's not about Lundqvist.

 

[NYSPORTS]

The delusions on this forum. You think throwing Lundqvist out in the gutters will make a difference? One year? This team is many pieces away from becoming a contender. "Can we cheat the system, buy him out and give him 5 million dollar salary behind the back as a consultant?". No, the NHLPA and the NHL have strict rules about that. If you could make Hank agree on it, they could. If he retired now and got hired in feburary, maybe. But with Hank and how he thinks? Forget it. He's the soldier who would charge even if he knew he would die. Why do you think he got so good? You think you can make a HHOF goalie change his mind because of different circumstances after 15 years of that mindset? He's one of the most stubborn hockey players I've ever seen.

"Will he retire?" f*** no. This is Lundqvist you're talking about. He has been the epithome of consistency in the NHL for 1½ decade. He has refused to go at least twice while other prominent players disappeared to the left and right. He started as a Ranger and will retire a Ranger. He's an old school player and he is loyal to a fault. Why do you think he became SO GOOD, apart from talent? Will power. An unbreakable mind. More than 95% of all NHL goalies don't have what Hank has in the mind. Why do you think he's so well dressed and care even off the ice? Because he has a ridiculous drive to make other people like and appreciate him for what he does. As he's Swedish I cannot call him a narcissist at all (maybe partly American?), but he still wants appreciation for giving everything for his career, his way.

He will not retire. He will not be satisfied as a backup. He will still continune training hard to earn his starts. How he thinks should be obvious to all Rangers fans. What I find so pathetic is how fast you all turned on him. All you care about is getting him out of here. Sure, let's ignore all he did for this franchise. How he wasn't even overpaid - even now - for all he did for this franchise. Maybe the one and only not being overpaid during 15 years. And you can't wait to get rid of him, somehow. Why?

Do you actually believe if Lundqvist is gone, this team will be a contender? Are you f***ing kidding me? The center depth is weak as hell. The backend is still in shambles with corpses and lasting contracts that you should hope more for to be gone. The wingers aren't exactly great. What is the great revelation here for how getting rid of a dynasty goalie? Why is getting rid of him so important? Tell me.

I just want to express my utter distain for the tone in this forum when the ADHD mongrels have found their new saviour - that has not even proven himself yet - to continue covering the glaring holes in the teams to become successful. And like that will be even a chance of a continuation of an era Lundqvist played in.

Things have changed, alot. Lundqvist has been quoted on, that the slap shots when he started are like the wrist shots of today in terms of felt velocity as a goalie. Shooters have become so good and so accurate with the flexing sticks. You cannot rely on a goalie in 2020. You only need him to to his thing, while all the others need to do theirs, much more than when Lundqvist was the backbone of the NYR.

Hence, the team has to really form a strong team in front of the goalie to be able to win - and prevent the crazy good shooters from doing their thing. Even bottom liners can snipe with rockets today if given the chance. But the contract of the legendary goalie is SO important? For one more year in the sorry state the team is still in? Give me a break. This NYR team is at least half a decade - or even more - from being a true contender.

But you want to treat him exactly like Leetch, for nothing. Go ahead. I won't fault you for it, it's New York. But then I will be absolutely done with this team and all the other big money teams. They will be doomed and it will be their own fault. All money, no soul. And a serious lack of thinking blinded by the money.

we still have not found the missing link

 

[Rangers394]

The delusions on this forum. You think throwing Lundqvist out in the gutters will make a difference? One year? This team is many pieces away from becoming a contender. "Can we cheat the system, buy him out and give him 5 million dollar salary behind the back as a consultant?". No, the NHLPA and the NHL have strict rules about that. If you could make Hank agree on it, they could. If he retired now and got hired in feburary, maybe. But with Hank and how he thinks? Forget it. He's the soldier who would charge even if he knew he would die. Why do you think he got so good? You think you can make a HHOF goalie change his mind because of different circumstances after 15 years of that mindset? He's one of the most stubborn hockey players I've ever seen.

"Will he retire?" f*** no. This is Lundqvist you're talking about. He has been the epithome of consistency in the NHL for 1½ decade. He has refused to go at least twice while other prominent players disappeared to the left and right. He started as a Ranger and will retire a Ranger. He's an old school player and he is loyal to a fault. Why do you think he became SO GOOD, apart from talent? Will power. An unbreakable mind. More than 95% of all NHL goalies don't have what Hank has in the mind. Why do you think he's so well dressed and care even off the ice? Because he has a ridiculous drive to make other people like and appreciate him for what he does. As he's Swedish I cannot call him a narcissist at all (maybe partly American?), but he still wants appreciation for giving everything for his career, his way.

He will not retire. He will not be satisfied as a backup. He will still continune training hard to earn his starts. How he thinks should be obvious to all Rangers fans. What I find so pathetic is how fast you all turned on him. All you care about is getting him out of here. Sure, let's ignore all he did for this franchise. How he wasn't even overpaid - even now - for all he did for this franchise. Maybe the one and only not being overpaid during 15 years. And you can't wait to get rid of him, somehow. Why?

Do you actually believe if Lundqvist is gone, this team will be a contender? Are you f***ing kidding me? The center depth is weak as hell. The backend is still in shambles with corpses and lasting contracts that you should hope more for to be gone. The wingers aren't exactly great. What is the great revelation here for how getting rid of a dynasty goalie? Why is getting rid of him so important? Tell me.

I just want to express my utter distain for the tone in this forum when the ADHD mongrels have found their new saviour - that has not even proven himself yet - to continue covering the glaring holes in the teams to become successful. And like that will be even a chance of a continuation of an era Lundqvist played in.

Things have changed, alot. Lundqvist has been quoted on, that the slap shots when he started are like the wrist shots of today in terms of felt velocity as a goalie. Shooters have become so good and so accurate with the flexing sticks. You cannot rely on a goalie in 2020. You only need him to to his thing, while all the others need to do theirs, much more than when Lundqvist was the backbone of the NYR.

Hence, the team has to really form a strong team in front of the goalie to be able to win - and prevent the crazy good shooters from doing their thing. Even bottom liners can snipe with rockets today if given the chance. But the contract of the legendary goalie is SO important? For one more year in the sorry state the team is still in? Give me a break. This NYR team is at least half a decade - or even more - from being a true contender.

But you want to treat him exactly like Leetch, for nothing. Go ahead. I won't fault you for it, it's New York. But then I will be absolutely done with this team and all the other big money teams. They will be doomed and it will be their own fault. All money, no soul. And a serious lack of thinking blinded by the money.

I think we all love Hank but his 8.5 mil is a lot for a goalie who isn't starting. Nobody wants to lose young players because older players are taking up the cap space. I have no clue who said we are contenders if Hank leaves, that makes no sense.

and Igor is good but hopefully the team builds a good team in front of him so we don't need him go bail us out like Hank did

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Poor Lundqvist. He goes his entire career here with no elite offensive difference makers (after Jagr). Teams that always fell short offensively.

Now when he’s past his prime and about to retire we have Zibanejad develop into an elite player, Panarin be a Hart level offensive talent and we get Kakko and Lafreniere. Just ironic how it works out. If our contender teams 2012-2015 had just one of these guys on them we probably win at least 1 cup. I mean our leading scorer in our cup run year was friggin McDonagh with 18 pts in 25 games.

 

[DanielBrassard]

Have to wonder what Hank is thinking right now. Can't imagine he'd be too eager to hang em up at the moment.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I can go either way this year as long as it doesn't include a buyout for hank, either trade, retire or keep him and move Georgiev for a 2nd in this draft and if you can get more great.

Why? If we can't trade him and he doesn't retire, it's the only thing that makes sense. It's a last resort if those two things don't happen, but he should not be on the roster next season under any circumstance.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

But you want to treat him exactly like Leetch, for nothing. Go ahead. I won't fault you for it, it's New York. But then I will be absolutely done with this team and all the other big money teams. They will be doomed and it will be their own fault. All money, no soul. And a serious lack of thinking blinded by the money.

It's almost like there's a salary cap or something. You want to stop being a fan of the team since you're a fan of an individual player more than the team (which is something most of us have known for ages, now)? You won't be missed.

 

[NYRangers0723]

Poor Lundqvist. He goes his entire career here with no elite offensive difference makers (after Jagr). Teams that always fell short offensively.

Now when he’s past his prime and about to retire we have Zibanejad develop into an elite player, Panarin be a Hart level offensive talent and we get Kakko and Lafreniere. Just ironic how it works out. If our contender teams 2012-2015 had just one of these guys on them we probably win at least 1 cup. I mean our leading scorer in our cup run year was friggin McDonagh with 18 pts in 25 games

.

The problem was we were always usually a playoff team and when we were in the lottery we had no luck. So it’s hard to build offensive superstars unless you get a bit lucky. We went after guys like Gaborik and Nash who were very productive in the regular season but not as much as we needed them to be in the playoffs

 

[UnSandvich]

 

[nevesis]

JD's quote can mean so many different things...interesting.