At any point in the NHL season, I'm liable to be asked to name the best team.
My latest answer is "Henrik Lundqvist."
Thumbs up to the New York Rangers' goalie for being the best he has ever been.
He is the biggest reason the Rangers are tied for the league lead, and some nights, the only reason the Rangers get two points. He is, at one and the same time, the Rangers' biggest reason for optimism and pessimism.
Their fans worry that the Rangers really aren't as good as their 16-3-2 record, or that, because of Lundqvist, they don't need to show how good they are, so they don't, and eventually, perhaps, they'll find they can't.
He says he smiles now, which is easier to do when he gives himself a reason to smile by making another save that creates the opposite effect on the shooter.
The game of the year awaits for Lundqvist and the Rangers. Wednesday they host Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens. First place is on the line. And maybe the Vezina Trophy. Hart Trophy. Or it's just another game, because Price is quite capable of a wry smile, too.
Mighty Big Risk
The trade market is supposed to have Ryan Johansen's name written all over it.
From the day he stayed away from the Columbus Blue Jackets' training camp last year, it might have been expected that a fairly bitter contract squabble would linger. He's due another deal following next season, so that's at least part of the reason for the trade speculation, and that's where the understandable part of this story ends.
Johansen didn't miss a game last season while scoring 71 points. His current campaign has been disappointing, which puts him on a list with several other Blue Jackets, but he's still tied for the team scoring lead.
The franchise lacks a true identity, except for one that can only be whispered in Columbus. The Blue Jackets have traded Rick Nash, Jake Voracek, Jeff Carter and Derick Brassard. Among other things, Nash was the NHL's third leading goal-scorer last season. Voracek finished second in assists. Carter has won two Stanley Cups with the LA Kings and Brassard has scored 15 goals in 42 playoff games for the Rangers the past two seasons.
A Johansen trade is a mighty big risk.