Lundqvist, King of the Goalies

Well, the reports were running rampant all day about a new contract for Rangers keeper Henrik Lundqvist (John P.). I thought I would wait until the details were finalized. Well, this evening, the details were released.

Next season, Lundqvist will be the highest paid goaltender for the next six years (or until a bigger contract is signed). He signed a 6-year, $41.25 million deal ($6.875 million per year) on Wednesday, which should drop a few jaws around the league. He overtook Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin (John P.) who takes in $6.5 million a year in a deal he signed he won the Cup in Tampa Bay.

Lundqvist is considered one of the best goalies in the league, but still without much for playoff experience, he'll be expected to carry the Ranger team at least to the playoffs, if not more. This season, Lundqvist ranks 20th in pool scoring (in the middle of the evening, mid-action). He would be considered a first-round pick in any draft and rightly so.

With this big windfall, you would think the Rangers would be pushing the cap. Well, if you've been reading this blog, you'd know better. The Rangers are likely going to be a very different looking team with a lot of money to play with. Believe me.

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