For better or for worse, Henrik Lundqvist is a loyal man. The longtime New York Rangers goalie had a chance to head for greener pastures at this season's trade deadline, but Lundqvist declined the team's offer to trade him midway through the season as they were struggling in the standings. Prior to the deadline, the team announced that they were going to be parting ways with a number of players in an effort to start a rebuilding process.

Despite the team's new direction, Lundqvist wanted to stick around. From the New York Post:

"We told Hank that if he didn't want to ride it out through this process, we'd find a good landing place for him," [Garden executive chairman Jim] Dolan said during a conversation at his MSG office. "But he said that he wanted to stay and see it through. "I'm very happy that's the way he feels. I think with him at the top of his game, that gives us our best chance of competing for a playoff spot next year."

The 36-year-old Lundqvist has been a staple in net for the Rangers for more than a decade, becoming one of their best and most reliable pieces. He won the Vezina trophy as the league's best goaltender in 2012.

Despite the Rangers missing the playoffs just twice during Lundqvist's career (including this season), he has yet to win a Stanley Cup in New York. They've made the Stanley Cup Final once, in 2014, but ultimately always seem to flame out, mainly due to New York's inability to ice a quality defense in front of him.

With his numbers and durability on the decline, Lundqvist's window for a Cup is closing, especially if he's hoping to be the starter on a team that wins it. Despite that, Lundqvist's loyalty to the Rangers (and possibly the off-ice opportunities that New York provides) is strong enough to keep him from ring-chasing and sticking things out while the Rangers try to paint a clearer picture of their future.