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Henrik Lundqvist, 38, has signed a one-year deal with Washington, and the idea is that next season he will complement the team’s 23-year-old Russian goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov.
– Henrik is still a very skilled goalkeeper. That in combination with all the routine you have makes for a perfect mix. It could be expressed as if with Henrik on the team, Washington had two good things packed into one and the same person.
Previous Hockey coach Mats Weiderstål has served as a European Scout for Washington for over ten years.
– The first time I saw Henrik play was probably when he played in Järpen, says Weiderstål.
– But it was when I trained Linköping that I first realized how talented he was. It was in the early 2000s and then Frölunda coach Conny Evensson had trained a group of talented young players, including Henrik.
Weiderstål continues laughing:
– It was more than once that I stood at the Linköping booth and swore it was so good.
What kind of team will Lundqvist come to?
– Ever since we won the draft lottery and got Alexander Ovetchkin, Washington has been an offensive and playing team that for eight to ten years has been good enough to win the Stanley Cup, says Mats Weiderstål.
He laughs again:
– Although it is only once (2018) that we have managed to make it to the end.
The team is great Russian star Alexander Ovetchkin came to Washington for the 2005-2006 season, the same season that Henrik Lundqvist came to the New York Rangers. Two years later, Swedish forwards star Nicklas Bäckström also joined Washington.
– We have a team with several great profiles and a good mix of players.
Lundqvist has made it clear that he is going to Washington with the goal of winning the Stanley Cup, the only thing he has not won. Will your dream come true?
– Of course we can win. So, as always, a lot can happen along the way, as the situation is now, we don’t even know when the season will start. But we will be one of seven or eight teams that can win the Stanley Cup.
