This is what life is like as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Rangers have been here before, with a backup goalie excelling under the stewardship of position coach Benoit Allaire and nowhere for the netminder to go besides out. And each time, the Blueshirts have taken what they could in return.

It is a little different now with Alexandar Georgiev, the affable Bulgarian who just had his 23rd birthday — celebrated by stopping 55 shots in a win over the Maple Leafs on Feb. 10 — as compared to the two previous scenarios with Antti Raanta and Cam Talbot. Both of those players had far more NHL experience and deeper résumés when the front office traded them out from the shadow of Henrik Lundqvist.

Now, it’s Georgiev’s turn to show to the league he is at least worth considering as a worthy competitor for a No. 1 job somewhere. And the rebuilding Rangers have been giving him a nice little run, including three of the previous four starts going into Lundqvist’s return to nets for Tuesday night’s game against the Hurricanes.

“You have to earn your ice time, doesn’t matter who you are,” Lundqvist said after he was one of eight players to take part in an optional skate Monday afternoon. “He’s been playing really well. I think he’s been good all year. He’s taken another step here the last couple months. He’s so skilled and competes and battles really hard. It’s no surprise he’s been doing well, especially the last few weeks in some big games.”

It’s been a strange season for Lundqvist, who turns 37 on March 2 and started 32 of the first 39 games. The workload seemingly had him a little overrun following a tiring two-game road trip leading into New Year’s Eve. Since then, first-year head coach David Quinn has given him more time off.

That means Georgiev has gotten nine of the past 19 starts, maybe part showcase and maybe just because he has been playing better.

“I’m not going to overanalyze it because for the most part, I’m feeling good,” Lundqvist said. “But you compare a goalie to a player: For a player, you can play a strong game and have a few mistakes, and it’s a really strong game; as a goalie, you can’t afford that. That’s a different ballgame. A lot of times, that’s your mind more than anything.”

Lundqvist has two more years left on his contract, carrying an annual salary-cap hit of $8.5 million. He has a no-trade clause and has committed himself to sticking with the only NHL team he has known even as it goes through this rebuilding process.

His legendary work ethic has pushed Georgiev, just as it did Raanta and Talbot before him. Talbot had been terrific when Lundqvist went down for an extended period of time with a throat injury in 2014-15. Glen Sather, the general manager at the time and now team president, might have overplayed his hand with Talbot, getting just three picks (Nos. 57, 79 and 184) back in return during a draft-day trade with the Oilers in summer 2015. (Talbot was traded again a week ago, this time going to the Flyers.)

Raanta also went in the summer, going with Derek Stepan to the Coyotes in a deal before the 2017 draft that brought back defenseman Tony DeAngelo and the No. 7-overall pick used on Lias Andersson.

All of this was also done under the pretense — growing with each year — young Russian netminder Igor Shesterkin is the natural heir to Lundqvist’s throne. The 23-year-old’s contract in the KHL is over after this season, and following the World Championships in May, he could sign his entry-level deal and be in camp come September.

It doesn’t mean there is any pressure on current GM Jeff Gorton to move Georgiev soon. With another year on his deal before restricted free agency, Georgiev could make it through the draft and onto next year’s team if it’s decided Shesterkin needs some time in the AHL to start his North American career.

But when someone does come calling for a goalie, the Rangers know what to do. They’ve already started the process — again.