Henrik Lundqvist, one of the greatest goaltenders of his generation, announced his retirement Friday less than nine months after heart surgery.

The 39-year-old Swede starred for years for the New York Rangers, where he piled up 459 wins along with a a 2.43 goals-against average and 64 shutouts in 15 seasons.

He is sixth in NHL history in wins, seventh in saves (23,509), eighth in games played (887), ninth in starts (871), ninth in time on ice (51,816:51) and 17th in shutouts, according to the NHL.

He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals last October but never took the ice after announcing he had a heart condition. He had surgery in January, but didn’t begin workouts until last month and became an unrestricted free agent July 28.

“It’s time,” Lundqvist wrote in a social media post. “For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey and now it’s time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter.”

The man known as “King Henrik” was wildly popular and his departure from the Rangers was painful to many fans, even if it was expected. His deal with Washington came with the hope of Lundqvist earning his first Stanley Cup championship. Instead, he will head into retirement. Lundqvist said he was excited about the future but did not detail specific plans.

Lundqvist appeared in 887 NHL regular-season games, plus another 130 in the playoffs, and he came close to a championship in 2014, leading the Rangers to the Cup Final. He lost postseason series to the Capitals in 2009 and 2011, then eliminated them in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

DEVILS: New Jersey signed first-round draft pick Chase Stillman to a three-year entry-level contract, General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced Friday. New Jersey had two first-round picks and selected defenseman Luke Hughes, whose brother Jack plays center for the Devils, with the fourth pick overall.

Stillman, the 29th pick overall, played in Denmark this past season and had nine goals and seven assists in eight games. The 18-year-old went to Europe on loan from Sudbury when the Ontario Hockey League’s season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The forward had 13 goals and 21 assists in 58 games for Sudbury in 2019-20.

Stillman’s father, Cory, was selected sixth overall in the 1992 NHL draft by the Calgary Flames and played 16 seasons in the NHL. The elder Stillman won Stanley Cup titles with Tampa Bay in 2004 and Carolina two years later. Chase’s older brother, Riley, is entering his second season with the Chicago Blackhawks.

COYOTES: The upcoming season will likely be the Arizona Coyotes’ final one at Gila River Arena after the city of Glendale announced Thursday that it will not renew its agreement with the franchise beyond the 2021-22 season. The city tweeted it wants to focus on “larger, more impactful events and uses” for the arena.

“We are disappointed by today’s unilateral decision by the City of Glendale to break off negotiations on a multi-year lease extension agreement,” Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said in a statement. “We are hopeful that they will reconsider a move that would primarily damage the small businesses and hard-working citizens of Glendale. We remain open to restarting good-faith negotiations with the City. Most importantly, the Coyotes are one hundred percent committed to finding a long-term arena solution here in Arizona, and nothing will shake our determination to do what is right for our organization, residents of the entire Valley and, most important, our fans.”

The Coyotes have played at Gila River Arena since moving from America West Arena, which they shared with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, in downtown Phoenix in 2003. The Coyotes have operated on an annual lease since 2016 after the Glendale City Council voted to opt out of a long-term agreement.

Arizona had a deal with Arizona State University to build a shared arena but the school backed out. The Coyotes have been searching for new home since Glendale backed out of its lease agreement, possibly closer to the more populous suburbs east of Phoenix. New owner Alex Meruelo has said he plans to keep the franchise in Arizona.

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