The King Has Left The Building

It's officially the end of an era in The Big Apple as the New York Rangers bought out the final year of Henrik Lundqvist's contract today, allowing the veteran netminder to head to free agency rather than being bound to the Rangers as their third-string goaltender. It was nearly inevitable that the Rangers were going to make this move with the up-and-coming goalies they played this year in Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin leading the way in the blue paint for the Broadway Blue Shirts, but it's still hard to fathom that Henrik Lundqvist won't be in New York Rangers colours next season as he begins his 16th campaign in the league. Where he lands is entirely up to him, but it won't be the same New York team without Lundqvist stealing games for them.

Lundqvist leaves the Rangers as the franchise's all-time leader in games played (887), wins (459), save percentage (.918) and shutouts (64). He helped them make the playoffs in 11 of the 15 seasons he played for the team, appearing in the Eastern Conference Final three times and losing the 2014 Stanley Cup Final to the Los Angeles Kings where Lundqvist was a star every night for the Rangers. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2012 as the league's top netminder while being a finalist on two other occasions. He was also selected as an NHL All-Star on five occasions.

Lundqvist truly was a star for the Rangers, but that reality is no more with the Rangers cutting him loose today. The Rangers will pay Lundqvist $5.5 million in 2020-21 and $1.5 million in 2021-22 as per the terms of the buyout. The 38 year-old's departure from the team follows Marc Staal's trade to Detroit a couple of days ago as the Rangers look to retool and open up salary for potential free agent additions.

"We would like to thank Henrik for his immeasurable contributions to the New York Rangers," Rangers president and alternate governor John Davidson said in a statement. "From the time I met Henrik when he first came to New York in 2005, he has been the consummate professional. His tireless work ethic, passion for the game and love of the Rangers and New York City enabled him to become one of the greatest goaltenders in hockey and one of the best players in the history of our franchise. We all wish Henrik and his family the best going forward."

Lundqvist finishes his New York Rangers career with a record of 459-310-96 to go along with a 2.43 goals-against average. While his 10-12-3 record and 3.16 goals-against average this season were hardly royal in any way, it should be noted that he was chosen by the Rangers to start the playoffs in the bubble thanks to his playoff experience.

It's hard to imagine that Henrik Lundqvist might be done with hockey, but anything can happen this off-season. With salary caps being strained by younger players, it will be interesting to see if any teams bring Lundqvist on in the hopes of strengthening those goaltending tandems. With Lundqvist already receiving $5.5 million from the Rangers, there could be a chance that he takes a deeply-discounted salary for one season in an effort to win a Stanley Cup - something that has eluded him throughout his tenure in the NHL.

Whatever happens this off-season, it's almost certain Henrik Lundqvist will be a Hall of Fame inductee at some point after he retires. I'm not certain that option is even in play, but wherever "the King" decided to land next season it's almost certain he'll push for a Stanley Cup.

The King needs his Silver Chalice before he steps out of his kingdom.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!