The Rangers signed star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to a 7-year contract extension on December 4, ensuring that their franchise netminder would remain in New York for as long as the Rangers wished to continue to employ him. Reaction to the contract was mixed, with some rejoicing that Lundqvist, arguably the league’s best netminder, would be remaining with their team through 2021, and others worrying about the long-term risk of the contract and the $8.5 million cap hit associated with it. The opponents, however, would be well advised to bear two things in mind. First, Lundqvist was always going to receive this type of deal, and the Rangers had a choice between losing Lundqvist or accepting that fact; second, the mandates of the new CBA were at work here, and will continue to be as star players negotiate new contracts in the future. Observers had better get used to higher cap hits; they aren’t going anywhere.
Lundqvist has been lights out for the Rangers since breaking into the league in the 2005-2006 season. Since “King Henrik†assumed the starters’ throne, he has been the Rangers’ biggest calm in a storm of young players, ill-fitting stars, and overpriced has-beens assembled by mad scientist General Manager Glen Sather. His singular Vezina Trophy, earned in 2012, does not do justice to Lundqvist’s importance to the Rangers. Bearing that in mind, it is clear that there were more moving parts in the Lundqvist negotiations than pointing out salary comparisons; judging Lundqvist’s contract is more complicated than simply saying that his cap hit is substantially greater than any of his peers’.