This was an admission laid bare, the truth of Henrik Lundqvist’s difficult situation with the Rangers coming to light in as open a statement as has been made by the club’s legendary netminder since this rebuilding started just more than two years ago.
“I’ve been very open with management over the two years I’ve been through this process, that if there comes a day when they feel like I’m not a good solution, let’s talk about it, let’s be open about it,” Lundqvist said after Monday’s practice, when it was announced that Shesterkin suffered a non-displaced rib fracture in a car accident on Sunday night and is expected to be out at least “a couple weeks.”
Lundqvist will turn 38 Monday, and he has made just three starts since Shesterkin was called up on Jan. 6 to create the three-goalie situation along with Alex Georgiev, who is set to start against the Islanders on Tuesday night at the Coliseum.
“I know we’re going to sit down after this season,” Lundqvist said. “But right now and over the last few weeks, my focus has just been to work hard and be ready. That’s what I think I should be doing. There will be a time here, obviously, when we look at where we are and my position as a player to the organization.”
Lundqvist has one more year left on his contract with a $8.5 million salary-cap hit. He also has a full no-move clause, so he would have to approve any trade general manager Jeff Gorton could find. The other option would be for the club to buy out the final year of his contract, which would carry $5.5 million of dead cap space next season — so a savings of $3 million — and another $1.5 million of dead space in 2021-22.
Either one is a very difficult decision for management to make for the goalie who has been the face of the franchise since he took over as a rookie starter in 2005-06, and who has franchise records in wins (459, good for sixth in league history) and shutouts (64, good for 16th in league history), among others.
“Hank has been a terrific pro through all of this,” team president John Davidson said. “I think this is something we will sit down and talk about, because it’s only fair to Hank and his family, and it’s fair to us. There’s not much more to say about it.”
Davidson added that he feels “confident that [Lundqvist] is ready to play when [coach David Quinn] makes that call,” and Lundqvist understands there might be more opportunity coming his way. But that isn’t changing his mindset.
“The only thing I can do is work hard and be ready when I get an opportunity to play,” Lundqvist said. “It’s important that I try to bring that positive energy. For me, it’s a new situation, and it’s been hard not being able to play. But you have to make the best of it, and I think that starts with practices.”
There has been no letup in Lundqvist’s renowned work ethic, going so hard on Friday in Raleigh, N.C., that he went to Quinn and said it would be better if Georgiev backed up Shesterkin against the Hurricanes. It was the first time Lundqvist had been a healthy scratch in his career, and these strange moments will follow him until his time on Broadway is done — whenever that is.
“Again, there will be an opportunity to sit down and talk about my role later on,” Lundqvist said. “But not now.”