New York Rangers: Time to say goodbye to Henrik Lundqvist

The time has come for the New York Rangers to say goodbye to Henrik Lundqvist.

This one is difficult. As a lifelong New York Rangers fan, this idea is difficult to even fathom. There are nights when I don’t even watch this team if #30 isn’t in the nets. Could you imagine not having Henrik Lundqvist around? Even worse, can you imagine him wearing the colors of an opponent? It would hurt every Rangers fan very badly. It might even cause some of us to weep.

Boyz II Men said it best when they sang the song “It’s so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy. Sometimes it is downright hard. If it were easy everybody would be doing it. Often times the hardest decisions are the best decisions. The best decision for the franchise, and frankly for the player, would be to shop Henrik Lundqvist at the trading deadline. It’s time to say goodbye.

Before you dismiss me as some heretic hater, let me explain.

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Take a look at Monday night’s game against the Dallas Stars. After leading 1-0, the Rangers ended up losing 2-1. None of that , however, had anything to do with the play of Lundqvist. He stopped 21 shots in the first period and 39 overall in the game. Without him it would have been a laughable blowout.

The problem is the Rangers can’t score and haven’t been able to consistently in many years. The names have changed through the years but the problem has remained. Oh, the Blueshirts can score in bunches. They go on runs where the offense is hot. But it really hasn’t been consistent in quite a long time. I find myself wishing we could give Adam Graves the fountain of youth so we could have an actual goal scorer flying up the wing every night.

The game against Dallas got me thinking. That has been the story of Lundqvist’s career, hasn’t it? When the team isn’t playing well it is his job to save the day. It has been that way as far back as we can remember. Does anyone remember the night under Tortorella where the King made around 50 saves in a 1-0 win? It has always been all about Hank. He is the straw that stirs the drink.

However, he can’t do it all. Henrik Lundqvist cannot stop the pucks and score the goals too. It’s physically impossible. And for years it is what he has been called upon to do. Lundqvist has been called to save this team more times than we can count. For the most part, he has been successful. That is where all of the great accolades he has earned come from. However, the greatest accomplishment has eluded the King for all these years.

With all of the stats, all of the All-Star appearances, all of the wins and everything else, Henrik’s name has not appeared on the Stanley Cup. The Rangers got close, losing to the Kings in the 2013-2014 final. They haven’t gotten back. The way the team has played of late, Henrik may not even be back in the post season this time around.

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We already know that the Rangers are likely to back up the truck and be sellers at the deadline. Lundqvist has proven time and time again this year that he has something left. If he were put on the block, there would be many suitors. After all he has done for the Rangers, wouldn’t it be nice to give him the chance to win the Cup that he so deserves?

At this point, Lundqvist carries a full no-trade clause. He could waive that clause for the good of the team, should he be convinced of said concept.

It would help the team bring in scorers, and be a good thing for the veteran superstar. That is why it’s time to say goodbye. It’s for the good of the team and for the good of Lundqvist. Now it’s time to cry for admitting that out loud.

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