Larry Brooks had a few interesting tidbits on Henrik Lundqvist in his column in today's NY Post. I am not going to debate if Mike Richter or Lundqvist is the best All-time Ranger goalie, because that gets into whether a Stanley Cup win outweighs greatness over a longer period of time. It's basically an argument that you can easily choose either player and find a population base that will join quickly.
The two lists below are the ones I found most interesting:
Top 10 Most Valuable Teammates of the Lundqvist Era: 1. Ryan McDonagh; 2. Derek Stepan; 3. Jaromir Jagr; 4. Dan Girardi; 5. Rick Nash; 6. Ryan Callahan; 7. Mats Zuccarello; 8. Derick Brassard; 9. Marc Staal; 10. Brad Richards.
I guess this depends on how you define most valuable. Clearly it's not the best player, because if it was, Jagr would have to be higher on the list than third. Hard not to say McD shouldn't be first, seeing the number of games he played in front of Hank, especially from 2012-2015, when the team went to three Eastern Conference Finals and one Stanley Cup Final. Stepan, when New York was making that run, scored 41 points in 75 playoff games during that four-year spread. If McD is at the top, G at four also makes sense, as they were joined at the hip.
You could argue that Zucc should be higher, but it's possible he was moved down slightly due to missing most of the run to the ecf in 2015 due to his head injury. But, he was a huge part in the 2014 run and played the equivalent of six full seasons with Lundqvist. One name that could be added is Marian Gaborik, who played with Ludnqvist from 2009-10 through part of 2012-13, posting 114 goals and 115 assists in 255 games, as well as 11 points in 20 playoff games in the run to the ECF in 2011-12.
Best series victories: 1. Montreal, 2014 conference finals; 2. Washington, 2015 second round; 3. Pittsburgh, 2014 second round; 4. Ottawa, 2012 first round; 5. Devils, 2008 first round; 6. Atlanta, 2007 first round; 7. Washington, 2013 first round; 8. Montreal, 2017 first round.
Worst series defeats: 1. Ottawa, 2017 second round; 2. Pittsburgh, 2016 first round; 3. Tampa Bay, 2015 conference finals; 4. Devils, 2012 conference finals.
To me, the best win would have to be Pittsburgh in 2014. Down 3-1 in the series, Lundqvist made 102 saves on 105 shots in the final three games, including 35 saves in a 2-1 win in Game 7 in Pittsburgh. As good as he was against Montreal to get the team to the Cup Finals, none of it would have been possible if he wasn't a stone wall those three games against the Penguins. You could make the same argument for the series against the Caps in 2015, as New York also came back from 3-1 down, winning three straight. In the series, the King posted a .946 save percentage and sub-two goals against average.
The defeat against Ottawa in 2017 lies at the feet of Alain Vigneault. Lundqvist did not have his best series, including a bad angle goal to lose Game 1. But AV's horrific personnel decisions, especially on the blue line, was a major contributor to the loss. In 2012, the team was operating on fumes. Taken to seven games against both the Senators and Capitals and operating with a reduced lineup, the Rangers had nothing left against a Devils team they likely should have beaten.
Lundqvist retires as the sixth-winningest netminder in NHL history at 459-310-96 with a 2.43 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and 64 shutouts. In the postseason, he added another 61 wins and 10 shutouts. Brilliant numbers overall and deserving of having his jersey retired and raised to the rafters this season.
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