Georgiev is the Rangers #1 goaltender. Look at the numbers. The Rangers said Lundqvist didn't play last week because he was "ill". The Rangers twitter people started speculating Georgiev is being "showcased". It turns out Lundqvist had a back issue. The Rangers weren't transparent about the injury which is par for the course in the NHL.
The Blueshirts veteran netminder had not played in eight days, and had only two starts since Thanksgiving. But after dealing with a minor back issue over the past week while understudy Alex Georgiev had been outstanding, Lundqvist returned to make 23 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Kings here on Tuesday night.
“I felt OK,” Lundqvist said. “As the game went on, second and third, felt better and better. But we also played really well. We played a team that unfortunately got the lead then shut it down a little bit. A different type of game.”
https://nypost.com/2019/12/11/henrik-lundqvist-struggles-with-rangers-playing-time-in-jeopardy/
Georgiev has two shutouts this season. He has four shutouts in the last two seasons. Lundqvist has not had a shutout since 17-18.
The Rangers are usually great in November.
Rangers November 17-18 record 9-3-1
Rangers November 18-19 record 9-4-1
Rangers November 19-20 record 9-4-2
The Rangers tend to drop in the standings when December begins. The Rangers were a wildcard team at Thanksgiving 2018. The Rangers are 2-3 this month. Georgiev was fantastic against Columbus and Vegas. The Rangers don't win those games.
Georgiev > Lundqvist
Hank will be 38 in March. His back is bothering him now. He can still have an excellent start or string together two really good back to back starts. His best days are behind him. So many starts with a save % below 90%. Unless the Rangers get an offer too good to turn down, the Rangers should not trade Georgiev because Lundqvist has one more season on his contract and Shesterkin needs to play. The goaltending market is weird.
Lundqvist is a great guy. He does a lot of charity work with The Garden Of Dreams foundation. The Rangers need to move on from Hank. It will be painful. He only has one more season on his contract. Trade. Buyout. Retirement.