Every season Henrik Lundqvist is expected to carry his team to the Stanley Cup and every season they fall short – not because of Lundqvist, but because the team in front of him is incomplete. The expectations are high every season because Lundqvist is a generational talent and when the Rangers’ ultimate goal is not reached, much of the blame is directed towards him – even though his play is typically the primary reason for their competitiveness and accomplishments.
As talented as Lundqvist is, the challenges of a goaltending cannot be overlooked – those challenges were described by legendary Jacque Plante and should be kept in mind when critiquing Lundqvist.