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New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist deserves better

By Dave Stevenson |
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 09: Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers tends the net during pregame warmups before the game against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 09: Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers tends the net during pregame warmups before the game against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

Henrik Lundqvist is the goaltender the New York Rangers don’t deserve but desperately need. 

The New York Rangers are known for having pretty stellar goaltending. Since the start of the 2005-06 season, Henrik Lundqvist has guarded the net for them. And he’s done a darn good job of it. However, the Rangers have always taken him for granted. And despite Lundqvist nearing 36 years old, things aren’t any different this season.

King Henrik is the strongest proof that having an elite goaltender might be more of a curse than a blessing. NHL head coaches tend to look strictly at results. How often do you see a coach make significant changes after a win? Almost never. By definition, an elite goaltender masks his team’s flaws. So, in a way, Lundqvist doing so well might not be what’s best for the Rangers. This, by the way, is an indictment of everyone making the decisions, not on Henrik.

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Lundqvist’s greatness isn’t fully appreciated because the Rangers have relied on him for so long. They finally addressed their defense back in the 2017 offseason, but this came no fewer than three years too late. Lundqvist is no longer in his prime. But he was easily one of the best goalies of all-time in his prime, making the Rangers’ inability to win a Stanley Cup with him inexcusable.

Goals saved above average (GSAA) is a good way to determine just how good a goaltender is. It’s not perfect, but it’s probably the best stat we have to evaluate goalies. You can find it by simply taking a goaltender’s save percentage and comparing it to the average league save percentage. Lundqvist ranks tied for fourth all-time in most seasons with at least 50 games played and at least eight goals saved above average.

The goaltenders above him (Patrick Roy, Roberto Luongo, and Martin Brodeur) and the goaltenders he’s tied with (Ed Belfour and Dominik Hasek) are either in the Hall of Fame or should be once they retire.

Another telling stat is GA%-. This stands for goals allowed percentage, which compares the number of goals a goaltender allows to the league average. Anything below 100 is above average. 100 is the average. Above 100 is below average. Lundqvist has had a GA%- in each of his seasons except for one.

He has regularly done better than expected. Expected save percentage looks at what a goalie’s percentage should be, looking at factors like shot type and shot distance. Think of it as the FIP of the NHL. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, 69 goaltenders have played at least 7,500 minutes. Lundqvist’s 90.79 expected save percentage is in dead last. Yet his 91.99 percent save percentage ranks eighth overall. This gives Lundqvist the highest differential between his expected save percentage and actual save percentage. Oh, and his 221.79 GSAA during this span is more than double that of Cory Schneider in second place.

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Is Lundqvist worth comparing to Hasek? Absolutely not. But then again, in terms of pure dominance, only Vladislav Tretiak of the Soviet men’s hockey dynasty can say that he is. Lundqvist probably isn’t at Patrick Roy’s level either. But what’s undeniable is he’s the best goaltender since Martin Brodeur. And the argument could be had Lundqvist is even better than him. The Rangers deserve a ton of blame for not taking advantage of that.

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