(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Every time the Rangers flash Henrik Lundqvist’s stats on the TV during a game, especially the stat that shows that he’s won 30 games in each season so far, it makes me wonder how long it will be until Lundqvist holds the Rangers record for goaltender wins. Currently, Hank has 252 wins, good for third place all time among Rangers goalies.

Next on the list is Eddie Giacomin, who has 266 wins. Assuming there is a season, Hank should pass Eddie within the first two months of the season. Take a step back and think about that for a second. Hank has played seven full seasons, and has one shortened year ahead of him. When the season gets underway, Hank will pass Giacomin in less than eight full seasons. That’s impressive.

But we all know that Mike Richter is the record holder for all time Rangers wins as a goaltender with 301 wins. It looks like Hank will break that record next year, even with a shortened season this year.

Lundqvist has averaged 36 wins per year over his seven-year career, which is 44% of the 82 game NHL schedule. Assuming that same ratio applied to a 50 game schedule this year, then Lundqvist will win 22 games this season, putting him at 274 total wins.

The 2013-2014 season will be a full season, so barring injuries, Lundqvist should get #302 with his 28th win of that season. Naturally this is all assuming there’s a 50 game schedule this year (signs point to a 60 game year), but it goes to show you that Hank just needs to stick to his career average in wins to pass Richter.

It seems crazy to think that we can talk about Lundqvist shattering records for the Rangers, but he is on pace to do just that. If he stays healthy, he is a lock for 400 wins, which makes him a lock for the Hall of Fame. Not bad for a seventh round pick.

Share: 

More About: