It didn’t take long for the Washington Capitals to make good on the rumor and sign former Ranger netminder Henrik Lundqvist to a one year, $1.5M deal. The agreement brings them a veteran backup to 23 year old Ilya Samsonov who made his NHL debut last season, appearing in 26 games and posting a 22-16-6 record.
The Rangers of course made their decision last week when they opted to buy out the veteran and go with the 24 combination of Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev. Since the end of the season, it was clear they were not going to continue with the three goalie rotation, and they made that official with the buy-out of their franchise’s all time wins leader.
Joining Washington gives Lundqvist a chance to play his former rival Alexander Ovechkin, and a shot at the elusive Stanley Cup. As for the rest of us, well it’ll be strange to see him dressing in a different uniform after 15 years with the team that drafted him.
Reports also that the Rangers have resigned restricted free agent defenseman Brandon Crawley. Crawley was included in the playoff roster as a taxi-squad member, but has yet to make his NHL debut. The NJ native spent time split between the ECHL and AHL last season, a drop off from earlier in his career when the 23 year old looked like he might have a chance to move up as a late cut in camp.
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