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Grading the Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist; Brilliant Start, Ignominious End

September 12, 2016, 7:23 AM ET [268 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Including this blog, to date, I have now covered 13 F, 5D, 2G and the assistant coaches, leaving just Alain Vigneault remaining. After that blog, I will post a schedule analysis blog leading us into the World Cup and Training camp. In addition, if anything breaks, like it did with the Chris Drury news, I will post a blog on that immediately. Also, unsure if you saw, I am covering Team Sweden in the World Cup blogs, so will still be keeping a close eye on Henrik Lundqvist.

Blog parameters:

Each person covered will be given a rating. Factoring into that rating will of course be his performance but another input is going to be performance versus expectation coming into the season. Much of the background I likely covered in my tear down blogs, so don't expect massive chapter and verse but possibly some quick hitting information if not already covered in those blogs. In addition, to create some parameters, a player will have had to play 20 games to get a grade. Anything less means there isn't a representative sample for which to make a decision, so Brady Skjei and Marek Hrivik, to name two, will not get grades.

Here is where it gets really funky and interactive. I want you the reader to comment on the blog as to the rating. But not just hey I think you are right on or you are crazy but to provide your own rating and rationale for it. So if you agree with what I wrote, great, say that. But if the belief is the rating should be higher or lower, then you have to provide the rationale accordingly. Plus and minus grades are allowed to enable a broader opinion. Before the next blog, we will see if the blog comments consensus rating mirrors mine.

In addition, to shake it up, I will jump around a bit, so not all the players of the same rating are listed in a row, same with positions. So in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, you never know what you're going to get.

As requested, to get the ball rolling on possible line combinations, moving forward, as i give a grade, I will note on which line that player could slide in during 2016-17.

Covered in this blog: Henrik Lundqvist

This is what I wrote on Part I of my Rangers tear down and post-mortem blogs.
The season ended ignominiously for Henrik Lundqvist, as he was pulled in Games 4 and 5 after allowing just 10 goals on 41 shots in 66:04 of action. In fact, he was pulled in 10 of his 70 games, by far a career-high. Because of his struggles this year, which was mixed with highs, largely the 16-3-2 start when he carried the team, questions as to his ability to consistently raise his game have to be asked and if this is the beginning of the downward slide and end have to be asked. New York places an inordinate, likely too much, reliance on Hank and when he isn't all-worldly, the team struggles.

From his post game and breakup comments, Lundqvist, like many others, didn't sugar coat or make excuses for his poor play. He admitted and knows he had to be better but wasn't. In the past, you would expect Lundqvist to rediscover and likely raise his game. Now, off these struggles, there is no guarantee that it wIll happen again. Lundqvist turned 34 in March and carries an $8.5 million hit, a full no-trade clause, in a deal that extends through 2020-21. What was an area that constantly was viewed as top-shelf and elite now enters the offseason with some questions and doubts based on how the year concluded.


Overall Grade: C+.
That grade was a hybrid one. If you just look at the first part of the season, it was an A+. if you factor in his struggles subsequent to that before he righted the ship, it was a D. The playoffs were an F. But you also have to include the porous defense and penalty killing in front of him along with noting that Lundqvist carried the Rangers at many times, which is why it's a C+, though I could justify a lower grade or a slightly higher one, which I originally before changing it.

Overall, Lundqvist finished 35-21-7 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. The GAA wasn't up to Lundqvist's usual standards, but as noted above and as you will see below, that number was impacted by the porous overall defense. In addition, Lundqvist was nailed twice this year by his own teammates. Ryan McDonagh, who last year, lifted his mask at the same that a puck hit Lundqvist in the throat causing a vascular injury, this season ran into him, causing a neck injury. Then in the first game of the playoffs, Marc Staal stick hit Lundqvist's right eye, resulting in a minor injury and one that might have cost the team Game 1.

Carp and others have pointed out just how bad the Rangers' D was and how good Lundqvist was despite that poor play.

Lundqvist led the league in proximity or distance of shots faced at 5-on-5 , and was fourth in the NHL in even-strength save percentage. Another advanced stat (from Corsica hockey database, via @HockeyStatMiner), called “goals saved above average” which takes into account “expected” vs. “actual” goals allowed. Lundqvist was at 41.35 or 0.819 per 60 minutes. Next among the top goalies in the league were Corey Crawford (21.17/0.475) and Steve Mason (18.93/0.463). Likely Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby was, by comparison, 15.54/0.30.


A look at those numbers, regardless of your view on advanced metrics, show just how good Lundqvist really was. He may have faltered due to the weight of having to carry the team to make up for the poor defense, and that includes the forwards' failure to back check. The collapse occurred in the playoffs, when a very good Pittsburgh team took advantage of all the room and chances provided by New York to chase Lundqvist.

Possible Line Placement:

Not really applicable here as Lundqvist is the clear #1 and Antti Raanta the number two. After the loss to Pittsburgh, the whispers got louder that Lundqvist was starting the downward slide. Seeing how that series went, you can understand the argument, even if I don't necessarily believe it. Lundqvist gets a chance to build back up that legacy with a strong performance in the World Cup. If he does that, some of the whispers will die down in volume and he should enter the season on a high note.

To date, nothing has swayed me from the above view. Combinations will change during the year, and maybe Miller moves to the third line. But for now, he deserves to and should be in the top-six.

Players covered in prior blogs, My grade, Consensus Grade

J.T. Miller B+/B+
Dylan McIlrath B/B-
Oscar Lindberg B-/B
Marc Staal C-/C-
Jesper Fast B/B
Dominic Moore C-/C-
Ryan McDonagh - C+/C+
Derek Stepan C+/B-
Eric Staal D/D
Antti Raanta B+/B+
Kevin Hayes D/D
Viktor Stalberg C+/B-
Chris Kreider C+/C
Mats Zuccarello B+/B+
Kevin Klein C+/C+
Tanner Glass C/D
Rick Nash C-/C
Assistant Coaches C/C
Dan Girardi D+/C or C-
Derick Brassard, B/ B+
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