Henrik Lundqvist would love to have John Tavares on his side

Henrik Lundqvist has spent much of the spring watching the Stanley Cup playoffs from his couch, using his second time on the outside of the postseason as motivation.

He doesn’t plan to make this a habit and is hoping the Rangers’ front office has a big offseason planned. And if part of that plan is making a run at John Tavares, the Islanders’ stud free-agent center, the goaltender would be all for it.

“He’s a great player, there’s no question about it. Of course, if he would like to play for us, that would be big,” Lundqvist, attending BTIG Charity Day in Manhattan on Tuesday, said of the 27-year-old Tavares. “I have a lot of respect for him as a player. He’s done a great job so many years.”

Before the Rangers begin adding players, they need to find a new coach after firing Alain Vigneault. College coaches David Quinn of Boston University and University of Minnesota Duluth’s Scott Sandelin have been linked to the job, and so was University of Denver’s Jim Montgomery, before he took over as the Stars’ coach.

“I’m not worried about that. I know they’re going to find a good coach for this team,” Lundqvist said. “That’s why they’re interviewing a lot of different coaches. I think they have a pretty good understanding of what they want.”

Lundqvist plans to skate more this offseason as he prepares for what he hopes is a big year. At the age of 36, he doesn’t have too many seasons left. He doesn’t plan on watching the playoffs from his couch again.

“I haven’t experienced this [in eight years],” Lundqvist said of missing the playoffs. “Hopefully, we have a great summer here as our organization makes some good decisions, brings in some big pieces, and we take off from there.”