How should the Rangers utilize Jonathan Quick?
By Marvin Azrak
How Jonathan Quick’s support role behind star goalie Igor Shesterkin, will propel the New York Rangers to new heights of goaltending excellence.
Growing up as a New York Rangers fan in Milford, Connecticut, Jonathan Quick’s journey has come full circle. After defeating the Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, the three-time Stanley Cup champion, now 37 years old, finds himself donning the Rangers’ jersey. He let his kids choose the back of his helmet design to celebrate. It reads the signature part of the team’s goal song:”Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!” “It’ll be nice” to hear it as a member of the home team. Then he smiled and said, “It’s been a few years since I enjoyed it.”
On July 1, New York signed Quick, the seasoned goaltender, to a one-year contract. The move sees him stepping in for Jaroslav Halak as the backup to Igor Shesterkin. Quick will make $825,000 in guaranteed money and can earn up to $100,000 in available performance bonuses.
That’s a far cry from the $5.8 million he made annually with the Kings from 2013-2023, but it reflects the goaltender he is today.
During his 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Quick played 753 games, achieving a 2.47 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
Quick rose to fame in 2007 when he joined the NHL with the Kings. He led Los Angeles to a Stanley Cup victory in the 2011-12 season, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Two years later, he lifted the Cup yet again.
However, in the 2022-23 season, Quick showed signs of regression. His goals-against average of 3.41 and a .882 save percentage were the lowest of his career since his early days with the Kings. It was time to move on, which prompted Los Angeles to make a heartfelt move.
On March 1, Quick was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, only to be flipped to the Vegas Golden Knights the following day. In his first ten games with his new team, he went 5-2-2 with a 3.13 GAA and a save percentage of .901. He later took on the backup role to Adin Hill during Vegas’s Stanley Cup run. It’s clear Quick is still a reliable goaltender, but his play no longer reflects the Hall of Fame-worthy netminder he used to be.
The veteran coming to Broadway as a backup makes sense.
Even though he will play second fiddle to Shesterkin for most of the season, Quick is still an essential component of the Blueshirts’ quest for the Cup both on and off the ice.