Jonathan Quick was one of the few New York Rangers who showed up during Sunday's loss against the Nashville Predators, and you can't help but feel like the team has been wasting what could be the final games of his legendary career that will one day be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Rangers are letting Quick down
Sunday's loss was Quick's fifth in a row, and it is hard to fault him for that. In the last five games he's stopped 140 of 151 shots which equates to a .927 save percentage and a 2.20 goals against average. In that same stretch, the Rangers have scored just six goals which includes one goal against Detroit, two goals against Utah, two goals against Vegas, zero! goals against Vancouver, and one goal late in the third period against Nashville.
Quick's tenure with the Rangers has been an interesting one, and his arrival to the organization during the 2023-24 was totally unexpected. He was coming off a season in which he looked like he was cooked as an NHL goalie, although he appeared in enough games with the Golden Knights to get earn a Stanley Cup ring. His total stats that season included a record of 16-15-6, a 3.41 goals against average, and a .882 save percentage. He turned back the clock for the Rangers in 2023-24, and ended the season with a record of 18-6-2 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.62 goals against average.
Quick is rewarding the Rangers' continued faith in him
Last season was a return to reality for the three-time Stanley Cup champion, and he went 11-7-2 with a 3.17 goals against average and a .893 save percentage. He reupped with the Rangers in the offseason, something that was a bit of a shock again given his recent performance, but he's returned the team's faith in him by playing some of the best hockey of his career.
Quick's had just nine starts, and it is possible with more playing time will come a bit of regression, but he's sitting with a record of 3-5-1 with a 1.79 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. From an underlying metrics standpoint, Quick is fifth in the league by Evolving-Hockey's GSAA (goals saved above average) with a mark of 9.96 as of December 22nd. He also ranks 22nd with a 10.9 GSAx (goals saved above expected.) Last season Quick had a mark of -4.66 and -3.89 in each respective category, and the early turnaround should have resulted in a few extra wins for the Rangers.
The hope is that the Rangers can get their act together, and Quick will snap his losing streak the next time he's between the pipes. At this point of his career it is likely he wants to remain close to home, but could you imagine if the Rangers are in danger of missing the playoffs and a contender comes calling?