Despite plenty of speculation the New York Rangers were planning on doing something about their three-headed goaltender situation in New York, news has broken that the team has shifted gears and has no desire to move up-and-coming netminder Alexandar Georgiev.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the process of possibly moving Georgiev has reached the point where they’ve decided to keep him, see him as a future starter and have no desire to move him.
Whether the change in direction is because a potential trade partner in Toronto went out and found another option in Jack Campbell or the Rangers have decided moving Georgiev is too big a risk, he’ll now be given an opportunity over the next couple of seasons to be in the mix as one of the Rangers final two who make the cut.
Still just 23 years old, he boasts a career .913 save percentage and will likely only get better alongside Igor Shesterkin, who too isn’t going anywhere either. It appears the Rangers have found their tandem of the future.
The decision to keep Georgiev will lead to some potential complications on their team’s salary cap next season. Georgiev is a restricted free agent who will be in line for a considerable raise. When you consider Kevin Shattenkirk’s buyout cap charge will increase dramatically and, should the Rangers decide to keep Ryan Strome and Anthony DeAngelo, it could be tight trying to fit everyone in. also in line for raises, New York could be facing somewhat of a cap crunch for next season.
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What Happens With Henrik Lundqvist?
With this decision, the question now becomes, what happens with veteran Henrik Lundqvist? With one year left on his contract, could the Rangers communicate their plan to move in a different direction and see if he’d be open to a trade? As of this writing, Shesterkin gets the start in net for the Rangers on Sunday.
If Lundqvist is committed to staying in New York, would the Rangers consider a buyout to help alleviate some of the cap issues they’ll be facing?
Over the duration of his time with the Rangers, Lundqivst has shown his desire to stay with the team. But, what if he knows that time is coming to an end? Could he go out on his terms by accepting a move somewhere else? And, if so, what teams become players for one of the best netminders in the NHL over the past decade?
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