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‘We’ll see what happens’: Henrik Lundqvist is strapping his pads on again in latest update

By Ian Oland

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August 12, 2021 2:56 pm

Henrik Lundqvist isn’t calling it a career yet after open-heart surgery sidelined him for the entirety of the 2020-21 season.

Earlier this week, Hank posted another wholesome update on social media that he was back fully training again. Lundqvist posted a photo that shows two pads untied laying on the floor.

“Not sure how many times I’ve been sitting here, tying and untying the pads over the years, 15.000? I’m just guessing.” Lundqvist wrote. “Back at it, we’ll see what happens 🙂”

Lundqvist, who hoped to return to the Capitals for its playoff run, was forced to pause his NHL comeback attempt in April after doctors found inflammation around the heart.

Up until that point, Lundqvist appeared to be showing promise that he could do the impossible.

Lundqvist is currently an unrestricted free agent but is technically unable to sign with another team because he is not cleared by doctors… yet.

“We’ve checked in with him regularly,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said recently on DC101’s Elliot in the Morning. “He’s still going through the process of getting cleared for his condition. I think the intention is he’d like to play, but medically he has to go through some stuff to be able to get clearance to play. We’ll monitor that as it goes farther.”

The Capitals, like last year, will be entering the 2021-22 season with two young goalies and could likely use a veteran presence, though they are currently snug up against the cap. The team re-signed Ilya Samsonov to a one-year deal earlier this week and reacquired Vitek Vanecek after he was selected in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft.

Lundqvist’s update comes days after his foundation announced it was donating $100k to four organizations to help food-insecure children and their families in New York City during the pandemic.