New York Rangers Buy-Out Henrik Lundqvist’s Contract
The New York Rangers bought out the final year of Henrik Lundqvist’s contract on Wednesday morning, ending his legendary career in New York.
Henrik Lundqvist was formerly the best goaltender in the National Hockey League, winning the Vezina Trophy in 2011-12 after winning 39 games and recording 1,630 saves in 62 starts.
Lundqvist appeared in 887 career games and had a career record of 459-310-96 with 64 career shutouts and 23,509 career saves. Lundqvist holds a plethora of New York Rangers franchise records, including wins, shots against, saves, save percentage, goals saved above average, point shares, and much more.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!
— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist) September 30, 2020
15 years ago, I played my first game for @NYRangers I came here with high hopes and big dreams but in my wildest imagination, I could never have pictured the amazing ride that lay ahead.. pic.twitter.com/uo0HJMZnCj
After starting just 26 of the Rangers’ 73 total games in 2019-20, it was time for the Rangers to move on, and here is what James L. Dolan had to say about the buyout:
"“Few players have been as important to the Rangers franchise as Henrik Lundqvist, and we are incredibly grateful for all he has done for our organization… Over his 15-year tenure, he not only established himself as one of the best goaltenders to ever play the game, he has also been one of hockey’s fiercest competitors and most effective ambassadors. He will always be a part of the Rangers family.”via NHL.com"
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Not only does Lundqvist rank atop the Rangers’ records, but he is sixth on the NHL’s all-time win list and 16th on the NHL’s all-time shutout list.
In addition to all of his personal accomplishments, Lundqvist helped the Rangers reach the playoffs in 12 of his 15 seasons in New York, winning the Eastern Conference in 2013-14 when he recorded 1,666 saves with a 33-24-5 record that season.
Henrik Lundqvist has been one of the most important players to the Rangers’ organization, not only over the past 15 seasons but in the team’s history. The Rangers and their fans will deeply miss Lundqvist and his countless contributions to the organization over his 15 seasons with the Blueshirts.
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With this buyout, Alexandar Georgiev will likely become the Rangers’ number one goalie as he was in 2019-20. Georgiev has been with the Rangers for three seasons now, starting 71 games with a 35-31-7 record over that span.