It’s not very often that a player has control over their destiny, and if they do it’s usually not to the liking of their team. Sure, no-trade clauses can interfere with a team looking to better themselves, and a player can also ask for (or “demand”) a trade – neither option will leave a team high-fiving their destiny-controlling player.
Henrik Lundqvist, on the other hand, has apparently gained so much respect from the team they literally asked him if he would like to be traded to a team in a better position. Jim Dolan – executive chairman of The Madison Square Garden Company and MSG Networks – informed the New York Post that Lundqvist had been offered the opportunity ahead of the February trade deadline, but Lundqvist showed a tremendous amount of loyalty, responding that he wanted to see the rebuild through.
It’s pretty impressive that someone with as much tenure as the 36-year-old Lundqvist is willing to see through a rebuild rather than take the trade offer to chase his first cup. It seems the King Henrik has gained enough respect with the Rangers organization that he is welcome to do what he wants.
“I think Hank was able to keep us in the playoff race when we probably didn’t really belong there the way the team was playing,” Dolan told The Post. “Having him in place gives us a great foundation going forward.”
The King of New York isn’t going anywhere.
