Lundqvist was really good, but he was also consistently really good for a really long time. I think Shesterkin at his best is probably better than Lundqvist at his best, but we have to see how long and how consistent Shesterkin can be. It's easy to forget that he has only played around 80 games, which is less than 10% of Hank's career.
We also need to see Igor in the playoffs, specifically in game 7s where it really counts. Thats where Hank shined. I dont know his stats off-hand but they were pretty ridiculous, especially at home.
I will say Igor is much better puck handler, that goes without saying. I dont want to shit on Hank because I loved him. But Ive always pointed out that I was hoping he would try to improve in that area. I think it would've helped him win more games and get more shutouts. Thats how bad he was at it.
Igor seems to not let up the bad goal nearly as much and doesnt flail around and get as rattled as Hank did. Hank was a fierce competitor in his own way, just as Igor is locked in mentally in his own way.
We also have short memories. Hank was letting up a lot of softies towards the end. In his first several years he was rock solid and wasn't susceptible to bad goals as often. He even changed his style a bit to combat all of the deflection goals against which was seemingly the only way you could beat him at times. But there were a few softies that got him in some big spots.
Igor is a fantastic goalie and I agree he
may be better. But I need to see the longevity and especially need to see enough post season results to put him over the top.
