New York Rangers Can Afford To Experiment With Cam Talbot

By Jesse Burke | May 22, 2015

Could the New York Rangers really consider benching starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist in favor of backup Cam Talbot?

The New York Rangers are in a 2-1 hole. Good news is, we have seen them in deeper ones before and get out. Not to say anything there is anything good about the situations because the Rangers are playing directly opposite of that. However it’s not time to panic, rather it may be time to experiment.

Henrik Lundqvist can’t be blamed for everything, however he’s the King and you live and die by the goalie. In the last two games Lundqvist has given up 12 goals, which has some people thinking if it’s time he steps down from the throne. Lundqvist is 33 years old and like everybody else only getting older. Currently he is being out played by a team that is much faster than his glove.

More from New York Rangers

It wasn’t too long ago when Lundqvist was out due to injury. Backup Goalie Cam Talbot kept up perfectly fine, not only keeping the Rangers from falling but helping and propelling them to win the President’s cup. However that was in the past and the Rangers need to address their current situation if they want to have a future in these playoffs.

The performance Talbot put on in Lundqvist’s absence was a pseudo tryout for every other team out there looking for a goalie. Talbot can get the job done. The Rangers only need a day’s work out of him. A possible change in scenery may spark a fuse for all the blue shirts, instead of continuing to get struck by Lightning.

As said before it is King Henrik’s throne and it is up to him to fight to the death. Benching him at this point may do more emotional damage than any that has already been done physically. The Rangers are down but not out.

We have seen previous games come down to the last seconds, end in sudden death and settled early in the contest. Not to say the Rangers can afford to lose, no team can at this point in the season, however the thought of Talbot playing for a game should not be seen as a risk as much as it is an opportunity.

Some will argue if Talbot plays well then he should keep playing and that’s a good point, however it’s not THE point.

The likelihood of the King being benched is low and Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault even laughed at the idea when asked. It’s worth entertaining after all the Rangers are the Blue Shirts on Broadway. If Lundqvist continues to play the way he has, the Rangers won’t get many more chances to fix their act.

Next: Who is the best Ranger of all-time?

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Rangers