Mike Richter wouldn’t be surprised to see Henrik Lundqvist perform like an elite goaltender for several more seasons. But the Rangers legend also said The King’s reign could end much sooner than even he realizes.
“No one knows that, and least of all Henrik. He doesn’t know that and he can’t control that,” Richter said of the 36-year-old. “Some people can go on for another five or 10 years at a high level at the goaltending position. Other people fall off a cliff.”
Over the past two seasons, Lundqvist’s Hall of Fame numbers have dropped significantly. Two seasons ago, he posted a 2.74 goals-against-average. He followed that with a 2.98 last season — a 2.48 GAA in 2015-16 was his previous career-worst — while failing in back-to-back seasons to record a save percentage of at least .920 for the first time since 2008-09.
With last season’s veteran sell-off, Lundqvist may find even less defensive support this coming season, but Richter doesn’t see the Rangers in traditional rebuilding mode.
“Clearly the Rangers aren’t starting from scratch. They have one of the best goalies in the world in the net,” Richter said. “They felt the window close with the veterans that they had. They had to start anew. … They should be commended for saying, ‘We’re not just good with making the playoffs. We’re not good with getting to the conference final. We want to win the Cup.’
“Across the league, a lot of people are looking at what just happened with Vegas, and you can’t start more from scratch than that.”
Though Lundqvist holds several significant franchise records, he seems further than ever from holding the Stanley Cup, which Richter helped bring to the Rangers in 1994.
But the retired lifelong Ranger doesn’t think the current face of the franchise needs to leave New York to earn the elusive title.
“Take the great young talent that he’ll be surrounded with here and mold it into something that understands how to be a champion,” Richter said. “Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch, they all had to learn that at some point in their life, and when you have good leadership you can.”