Henrik Lundqvist takes next step in bid to get back to playing hockey

There's no guarantee it will happen at this point, but Henrik Lundqvist is trying hard to get back to playing the game he loves. After being bought out of the final year of his contract by the New York Rangers a year ago, the only NHL team he's ever played for, Lundqvist signed a one-year deal with Washington. Then it was determined he needed heart surgery and would miss the entire 2020-21 season. "The King" has updated his status and it looks like progress is being made.

Lundqvist tweeted a photo of his goalie pads on Tuesday, with the caption "Not sure how many times I've been sitting here, tying and untying the pads over the years, 15,000? I'm just guessing.. Back at it, we'll see what happens."

Lundqvist has stated he'd like to play another season but he does not yet have the full medical clearance from the league's doctors. However, this is another step in getting that clearance. If all goes well with skating in full goalie gear, the next step would have to be scrimmages and, eventually, actual games. Even if he does get the ok from medical professionals, he will still need to find a team to sign him. Right now, the 39-year-old is a free agent.

Lundqvist holds just about every franchise record there is for a goaltender with the New York Rangers. If he can get back to the game, he'd make a great backup and mentor for a team with a young netminder looking to lock up the number one position.

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