Eight months ago, Henrik Lundqvist met with his family and agent to discuss his future for the first time.
By the end of the night, The King knew exactly where he wanted to spend the rest of his career and what he wanted to accomplish.
Step 1 was met on Wednesday when the Rangers announced they had signed the Swede to a seven-year contract extension worth $8.5 million per season ($59.5 million total) that will take the franchise goaltender through the 2020-21 season and make him the highest-paid netminder in the sport. Step 2 is winning a Stanley Cup on Broadway.
“To picture myself anywhere else was just wrong, and never an option,” Lundqvist said during a press conference at the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh following practice on Wednesday.
It was a regal gathering for The King, attended by general manager Glen Sather and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan.
“He’s proven himself to be a world-class goaltender and I expect him to continue to play at the highest level as well in the future, right,” Dolan said with a smile, making eye contact with Lundqvist, who responded with a smile and a head nod.
The lifelong Blueshirt, who turns 32 in March, becomes the fifth-highest paid player in the NHL next season based on his annual salary, trailing just Washington’s Alex Ovechkin ($9.538 million), Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin ($8.7 million) and Anaheim’s Corey Perry ($8.625 million). He will make a full $1.5 million more per year than Nashville goaltender Pekke Rinne and Boston’s Tuukka Rask.
Lundqvist, the one-time Vezina Trophy winner and four-time runner-up, will be 39 when the contract runs out, meaning the long-term deal all but guarantees he will play on Broadway his entire career. Lundqvist arrived here from Sweden in 2005-06 after he was the 205th overall selection in the 2000 Entry Draft.
“To get that opportunity to stay with one club throughout your career is very special,” Lundqvist said.
Sather was in an especially chipper mood, describing the negotiations with Lundqvist’s agent Don Meehan as “fun” and “friendly.” He even jokingly told Lundqvist “you have to carry us on your shoulders” to eventually win the Cup.
“I think we’re all happy and comfortable with [the contract],” Sather said. “It’s terrific Henrik decided to stay here. If he would’ve gone someplace else, I’m sure he would’ve earned more money.”
It is believed the Rangers recently yielded on the term of the contract after previously having held their offer at six years. Lundqvist currently is operating on the final year of a six-year deal worth $6.875 million annually.
The move not only solidifies the Rangers’ goaltending situation for nearly the next decade, it should stabilize things this season. Though Lundqvist said he put his contract behind him when a deal didn’t get done during training camp, he did allow, “Maybe it’s been in the back of my mind a little bit.” He has been uncharacteristically inconsistent this season in posting an 8-11 record with a 2.51 goals-against average and .917 save percentage, numbers well below his standards.
“When you play at this level, every little percent of your focus will matter,” he said. “In the end, maybe it’s a factor.
“Of course, it feels good right now to have it in place, to move forward.”
Lundqvist was the backup the last two games behind Cam Talbot. It marked the first time the 2012 Vezina Trophy winner sat on the bench when healthy for consecutive games since Feb. 5-7, 2011.
Coach Alain Vigneault said Lundqvist would be back in net for Thursday’s match in Buffalo against the Sabres, and thinks the deal getting done is .
“What do they say? Happy wife, happy life. Happy goalie, happy team,” the Rangers first-year coach said jokingly. “As you can tell today, I think this was a relief for Hank, to finally know for sure he was going to be with the New York Rangers for the rest of his career. So I think this is very positive for our whole team.”
Additional reporting by Larry Brooks