Hartnett: Idea Of Rangers Trading Lundqvist Is Absolutely Absurd

By Sean Hartnett
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The Stanley Cup hasn't been awarded yet, but silly season is well underway. So allow me to pour cold water all over this nonsensical Henrik Lunqdvist trade speculation.

Matt Larkin of The Hockey News penned a Thursday column advocating the idea of Lundqvist being willing to waive his full no-movement clause to join the up-and-coming Dallas Stars. To suggest that Lundqvist would welcome an escape from Manhattan is a ludicrous. It's totally forgetting who he is and what drives him.

While he is the league's highest-paid goalie at $8.5 million in annual-average value, Lundqvist did not entertain the idea of testing free agency and letting an all-out bidding war commence for his services when he had the opportunity.

"If he had gone someplace else, he would have -- I'm sure -- earned more money," Rangers president Glen Sather said after Lundqvist committed his long-term future to the team in December 2013.

Lundqvist signed on the dotted line for a seven-year, $59.5 million extension with the expectation that he would spend his entire career in a blue, white and red sweater, following the path of franchise legends Rod Gilbert and Mike Richter. Raising another long-awaited Stanley Cup banner to the Garden rafters accounts for 100 percent of Lundqvist's motivation.

"I really want to win the Cup here in New York. It's my biggest goal and my biggest dream," Lundqvist said upon completion of the deal. "Secondly, I want to be a Ranger for life. To picture myself anywhere else was just wrong and was never an option. I know there was some speculation over the summer, but from the heart it was never an option to leave this club."

So, the speculation ends there. Anyone who has spent considerable time observing Lundqvist after a painful playoff exit can see how deep the hurt goes. That pain was there for all to see when Lundqvist struggled to gather himself after the Rangers' Game 7 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 Eastern Conference finals. He stood alone, hunched over and shaking his head in disbelief, while the rest of his teammates joined the handshake line. It took crowd cheers of "Hen-rik, Hen-rik" and the consoling of backup Cam Talbot before Lundqvist joined the procession.

From the Rangers' standpoint, trading Lundqvist would be waving a white flag of defeat. It would be an acceptance of a full rebuild -- something that would hurt their chances of retaining players key to their future and hinder their chances of luring high-priority free agents. A total rebuild is something that doesn't make a lick of sense for the Rangers in terms of their on-ice product or their off-ice brand -- and much of that brand is tied into Lundqvist's marketability.

What the Rangers need is a tweak in the form of stabilizing their blue line and pairing established stars with youthful legs. This organization doesn't rebuild, it retools.

For obvious reasons, the Rangers certainly don't see Lundqvist as part of the problem. He posted a sparkling .920 save percentage in a season where the Blueshirts struggled in possession metrics and defensive zone coverage. That's a shade below his career .921 save percentage. He was voted by the media as team MVP for a franchise-record eighth time at the conclusion of the 2015-16 regular season.

In addition to Lundqvist's all-world netminding, the Rangers still possess a solid core that includes Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard. Blossoming 23-year-old J.T. Miller, standout 22-year-old blue liner Brady Skjei and potential 2016-17 Calder Trophy candidate Pavel Buchnevich are going to play major roles in this franchise's future. After a strong regular season finish, 25-year-old Chris Kreider could be set to realize his full potential next season.

It's funny how farm rankings are decided. THN Future Watch ranked the Rangers' farm system dead last among 30 NHL clubs. That includes Buchnevich, who is likely to agree to an entry-level contract in near future and will be counted on by the Rangers to lock down a top-nine forward role.

The Rangers' pool of organizational prospects has been thinned because the Hartford-to-New York pipeline is constantly producing waves of youngsters ready to cement their places in Alain Vigneault's lineup. What it doesn't account for is the intelligent drafting year after year by Jeff Gorton, Gordie Clark and others finding gems in later rounds.

Drafting Carl Hagelin in the sixth round in 2007 and Jesper Fast in the sixth round in 2010 is proof of this. As is the Rangers' hugely successful 2013 draft, a year where they did not possess a first-round or second-round selection. The Blueshirts nabbed Anthony Duclair, Adam Tambellini and Buchnevich each in the third round and another future defensive stud in Ryan Graves in the fourth round.

Maybe farm systems should be ranked by how successfully they keep the pipeline to the NHL flowing rather than any other measure. Hartford's AHL staff of Ken Gernander, Jeff Beukeboom, Pat Boller and Jim Schoenfeld deserve heaps of praise for preparing youngsters for long-lasting careers.

There has been a lot of talk about an era ending for the Rangers. Perhaps, it has already ended as the cracks were apparent in their first-round elimination at the hands of the much faster and livelier Pittsburgh Penguins. But cracks can be smoothed over by smart personnel decisions and intelligent drafting. With the right retooling and Lundqvist standing tall between the pipes, the Rangers stand a chance of realizing their Stanley Cup dreams in a new era.

Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey