Henrik Lundqvist has said all of the right things the last few years, now he’s uncertain about his future with the New York Rangers.
For the last 14 years, Henrik Lundqvist has been the face of the New York Rangers, and as the team moves forward with their rebuild, The King might be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Talking to a European newspaper and translated by NHL.com’s John Lane, Lundqvist started to talk about the end of the Rangers career for the first time.
“I don’t know if I’ll stay with the Rangers my entire career,” Lundqvist said. “It has always been my goal to stay with the Rangers, but once you get up there in age you never know. I know what I want, but if the club has other ideas I know I’ll have to listen. You can’t just do your own thing.”
Throughout this entire rebuild, Lundqvist has been consistent in expressing his desire to remain a Ranger for the rest of his career. He has two years remaining on a seven-year contract extension in the 2013-14 season, a deal that gives him a full no-movement clause, giving him the power to control where he plays.
Lundqvist has only known the Rangers and has led New York to some of their most memorable moments since it won the Stanley Cup in 1994. All of that has led to him struggling with this rebuilding process.
“We lost a lot and it really took its toll on me mentally. Very much a challenge.” Lundqvist said. “I’ve always played to win and every year with the Rangers I’ve felt like we’ve had a shot at winning the Cup. But not this season. It was a very strange situation to be in.”
Even with all of the losing in 2018-19, Lundqvist also lost some close friends in the Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes trades. Towards the end of the season, he also found himself as the backup more often than he’s been accustomed to as the Rangers tried to see what they have in Alexandar Georgiev. It was a different situation for him, and he admitted it being a struggle.
Lundqvist will be 38-years-old next season and with Igor Shesterkin coming over, along with Georgiev’s play last year, he’s starting to see his end on Broadway. It might not be the end he hoped for, but it’s something he seems to be mentally preparing for.
