In speaking with Larry Brooks of the New York Post, Rangers owner Jim Dolan said that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist could have left the club at the deadline.
Dolan said that the team told Henrik that if he wanted to continue his pursuit of a Stanley Cup, the Rangers would “find a good landing place for him.”
Lundqvist kept the Rangers around for a lot longer than they should’ve been after a brutal 3-7-2 October. Henrik bounced back to steady the ship from November through January before the wheels fell off for good, signaling the start of the trading spree. Dolan added that having Henrik around next season will put the Rangers in the best position to compete next season, and that “having him in place gives us a great foundation going forward.”
Henrik made it well known that he intended to remain with the Rangers throughout this transition period, and for the duration of his hockey career, saying “I want to play for one organization. This one. I love it here. I want to be here and battle through the ups and downs, the good and the bad. It’s important to me.”
Lundqvist has been the backbone of this organization for the last thirteen years and is one of the main reasons this team has had so much success in his time with the Blueshirts. The Rangers have a lot of high-end goaltending prospects waiting in the wings, but until they are ready to play in the NHL, you can expect Henrik Lundqvist to be between the pipes at Madison Square Garden.
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