The New York Rangers signed their franchise goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist to a long-term extension last week, locking up King Henrik for the next seven years. The contract could conceivably be the last one of Lundqvist’s career and would ensure that the Swedish backstop plays his entire career under the lights of Broadway.

The numbers are large by hockey standards, seven years for $59.5 million. The annual salary cap hit of $8.5 million is up about $1.5 million over his expiring deal, which is palatable, but the deal runs until Lundqvist is 38-years old. There is certainly no reason to believe that he won’t be earning his money over the bulk of the deal, and with the expected increase in salary cap, Lundqvist might even be a bargain with his $8.5 million price tag.

Then again maybe he won’t. At age 31, Henrik Lundqvist has played in 601 NHL games, including playoffs. Based on the amount of games played and the shortened season last year, Lundqvist would be projected to play in 600 more before he hangs up the pads. Looking at the gold standard for both goaltending and longevity in the crease, Martin Brodeur, there is a discernable drop in production after year 11.

Brodeur hardly becomes a moist block of Swiss cheese, but the dominance from his early years is gone. There are two seasons in the final eight where the New Jersey icon is able to summon an otherworldly presence and find his fountain of youth. Particularly telling in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career is the lack of playoff success in the second nine years of Brodeur’s career. The 2012 Stanley Cup run was as much smoke and mirrors, as it was the legendary goaltender stealing a game or two.

That brings us back around to Henrik Lundqvist. He hasn’t come close to touching Brodeur’s playoff success; in fact, his 30-37-career playoff record could be classified as downright poor. There is certainly as much to team play with wins and losses in the playoffs, but the five-time Vezina Trophy nominee (won in 2012) has failed to take over the postseason the way his rival across the Hudson River has done. Four-time Vezina winner Brodeur also owns three Stanley Cup rings and five final appearances overall.

So have the Rangers invested wisely in their goaltender of the present and seven-year future. The short answer is yes. Lundqvist is a bargain at $8.5 million now for his ability to change games. That price will only get better as the hockey dollar inflates along with the salary cap. Known for his commitment to training and preparation, there is no reason to believe that the Rangers keeper can follow the path to AARP paved by Martin Brodeur. As the best player on a talented roster, New York needs their high profile net minder to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference.

The playoff success has not fallen in line with the spectacular regular season efforts, but that has much more to do with the collective playoff woes of the blue shirts than with anything Lundqvist has or hasn’t done. If the Rangers are going to make a serious run to a Stanley Cup, Henrik Lundqvist will be at the center of it. With the NHL’s holy grail the only trophy that has eluded the Swedish star to date, expect some of Lundqvist’s best years to come in the next five as he buckles down for a serious run to immortality. Whether or not he is ever able to lift Lord Stanley remains to be seen, but New York should be happy that they have the world’s best goaltender leading them to greatness.