Blackhawks: Should Chicago Sign Henrik Lundqvist?

It was reported last night that the New York Rangers will be buying Henrik Lundqvist’s contract out. That begs the question, should the Chicago Blackhawks look to sign the veteran goalie?

Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best goalies in NHL history to never win a Stanley Cup. Heck, he’s one of the best goalies in NHL history. Lundqvist has been an elite player for so many years now but hasn’t had a winning season since 2017. Even though he’s struggled, should the Chicago Blackhawks take a chance on the 38-year-old?

The easy answer is no. Lundqvist is way past his prime and would be worth too much to be a backup goalie. He was supposed to be paid $8,500,000 AAV next season, but him being bought out removes some of that cap from the Rangers.

A big reason why he is being bought out is the fact that he is 14.47% of the Rangers’ Salary Cap. They need to cut spending to improve as a team. Even though Lundqvist is a legend in New York, his play isn’t worth the amount of money they’re spending on him.

Blackhawks’ fans have questioned if Lundqvist would be a good fit in Chicago for the right price. The issue is, he hasn’t been a solid goalie for the past few seasons now. He is getting older, in fact, Corey Crawford is a better option than Lundqvist.

It’s too bad the way Lundqvist’s career is finishing, but a team like Chicago has to go younger in goal, not older. Crawford is 35 and is also slowing down. His last winning season was in 2018. He did get better as the season went on this past season, but he still is too much of a risk as a number one goalie.

In my opinion, neither goalie should be in Chicago in 2020-21. Lundqvist five years ago, I would take him in a heartbeat. Maybe they’d win another Stanley Cup if he was their goalie. Today though, Lundqvist isn’t going to replace Crawford, even if he was a tad bit better, which he isn’t anymore. Crawford’s cheaper, he knows the system and is a better fit.

Lundqvist shouldn’t be looked at as a replacement for Crawford. They need to go younger.