Henrik Lundqvist has signed a one-year contract worth $1.5 million to join the Washington Capitals.
Lundqvist was bought out of the final-year of his contract last week.
Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said in a statement “Henrik is one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, and we are pleased to have him join our organization. Henrik has the competitive drive and the ability to help our team compete for a championship. We feel he will be an excellent fit for our team and provide leadership to our organization and our young goaltenders.”
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A new journey begins with ONE goal in mind. I’m really excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the @Capitals
See you soon, DC!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/DuShlGUwGR— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist) October 9, 2020
𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙣 pic.twitter.com/IqwOBp7d0s
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 9, 2020
Adam Rotter: The Capitals are the best fit for Lundqvist for a ton of different reasons. They are a contender/win now team, they are close to NY, they have close friends Carl Hagelin and Nicklas Backstrom, he doesn’t have to be the starter and he will get the chance to play the Rangers multiple times.
Washington has Ilya Samsonov as their starter and Lundqvist is going into this situation knowing he’s the back up and he’s okay with it. This may be Lundqvist’s last shot at the Stanley Cup and, as Larry Brooks wrote, he and the Capitals may have to go through the Rangers for it. Lundqvist will likely wear his old number of 35 with the Caps as Samsonov wears #30.
If fans are allowed at MSG when the Caps first visit the Rangers then Lundqvist will get his Eddie Giacomin moment amidst a celebratory video that could last as long as the actual game would and still not touch on everything he did as a Ranger. It will be jarring at first to see Lundqvist in a Caps jersey and celebrating with Alex Ovechkin after a win but this is the best spot for him.