In order to save the King, Rangers must trade Georgiev
It was not very long ago that the mere thought of Henrik Lundqvist finishing with a goals against average over 2.50 was not only laughable but blasphemous. However, since he hit 35 in the 2016-17 season his GAA has been recorded at 2.74, 2.98, and 3.04. This season after last night’s shelling it sits at 3.18 over 25 games.
Let’s be fair and honest
To be fair, this decline in play does not sit squarely on Hank’s shoulders. There’s a lot that goes into the game of hockey which is the quintessential team sport. Between the rebuild, and the Rangers defensive structure which is not being talked about enough, Henrik looks a shell of himself. Last night, the Rangers needed vintage Lundqvist to beat the Blues. They needed him to stop Rob Bortuzzo’s breakaway. After opening the scoring they went on the power play for 4 straight minutes. The folly and ineptitude that ensued by the Rangers shifted momentum and was capped by Bortuzzo’s goal out of the box. The Blues never looked back after that.
No Longer the Workhorse
Last night was Lundqvist’s first start since January 2nd against Calgary. A span of 9 days! This is not helping Hank get into any type of groove. And now with Igor Shesterkin up, there’s no way a 3 goalie rotation is going to make it any better for him.
“It’s an unusual situation right now,” said Lundqvist, who has started just one of the previous six games and six of the team’s 17 matches since Dec. 5. “But you can only control so much. You don’t want to put too much thinking into this.”
NY POST
Henrik is saying all the right things and being very supportive in his new role as a mentor, but he’s still waiting for some sort of plan about the situation. Until the Rangers get back to a normal 2 goalie rotation, don’t expect Hank to get better, matter of fact it’s likely he’ll get worse.
Rangers listening on Georgiev
Elliotte Friedman reported last night that the Rangers are now listening on Georgiev offers. This is a little contrary to what I heard. Per my sources they were taking calls last month on him. Regardless, Friedman says the Rangers won’t move him unless they get an NHL ready forward prospect and anything less will be disregarded. The Rangers do need more centers in their organization, especially since Lias Andersson didn’t pan out and Brett Howden has been moved to the wing.
Save the King
Henrik Lundqvist is a Hall of Famer and probably one of the greatest Rangers of all time. He was the backbone that brought an offensively inept team to 3 Conference Finals and 1 Stanley Cup Final. He deserves better from the organization.
Igor Shesterkin in 2 starts has proven to be the heir he was advertised to be. It’s his net now and Henrik knows it. He knew this day was coming as he is set to turn 38 this March and likely to retire after his contract expires next season. What he wasn’t expecting was to be in a 3 goalie rotation. Next year will be his last on Broadway, he should go into knowing he’s the backup and will play 35-40 games. The Rangers need to trade Georgiev and they will. They need to find the right deal but they need to be aggressive in order to save the King.
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