There were a lot of naysayers when the New York Rangers signed Jonathan Quick as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after the 2022-23 season.
Many people pointed out that he was getting older, that his skills were diminishing, and that his best days were well behind him. They may have had a point about two of those three opinions as Quick was going into last season as a 37-year-old and his last season with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights was not a good one as he posted a 16-15-0-6 record with a goals-against average of over 3.00 and a save percentage under .900.
Well, Quick went out and showed everyone that he could still be a top-flight goaltender in the NHL. Last season, he went 18-6-0-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and two shutouts.
More importantly, Quick kept the Rangers afloat as the team’s starting goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, struggled to find his game. While Shesterkin was working on getting his game in order, Quick went between the pipes and won a lot of hockey games, made a lot of big saves, and showed both the Rangers and the rest of the league that he had a lot left in the tank.
Both Quick and the Blueshirts were smart to agree to a one-year extension in March of last season. It was clear at that point that both Quick and the Rangers realized that they had a great thing going and that there was no reason to not continue it.
It appears that much like last season, Quick has again turned back the clock and has provided stellar goaltending for the Rangers. As of this writing (Saturday night, November 9), Quick is 3-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average, a .964 save percentage, and one shutout.
Yes, Quick has only appeared in three games this season and has not played against top-tier hockey clubs. With that said, Quick did a lot for the Rangers in those games as his team did not play well defensively in any of them and they gave up a lot of quality scoring chances in each game.
Here is what Quick has done in each of the games he has started for the team this season:
- Thursday, October 17 against the Detroit Wings: Stopped 29 of 31 shots and got the win.
- Saturday, October 26 against the Anaheim Ducks: Stopped 32 of 33 shots and got the win.
- Saturday, November 9 against the Detroit Red Wings: 37-save shutout.
There are several reasons why Quick is off to another great start for the Rangers this season. For starters, his flexibility is amazing.
Despite getting up there in age, Quick is still explosive between the pipes. He is great at going side-to-side, can still do the splits to rob opponents, is great at stopping shots from the slot, and never gives up on the puck because of what he can do with his body.
Secondly, Quick provides a veteran presence in the crease. He knows when to slow things down, has a confident attitude when in goal, and is someone who the team has a lot of confidence in when it comes to making big saves when they need them.
That has already been the case a few times this season. In his team’s 2-1 win over the Ducks back on Saturday, October 26, Quick had to make several big saves to not only keep his team in the game, but also to help them win it.
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette agreed with the above when talking to Wes Crosby of NHL.com after the game.
“I thought we played a pretty good game,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “They’re a good team, they create a lot, and I thought we defended pretty well. ‘Quicky’ made some big saves when he needed to, made some big saves at the end of the game.”
Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren echoed Laviolette’s thoughts regarding Quick’s play between the pipes that night.
“Nice to get the win. Nice to get a goal,” Lindgren said. “We still gave up, maybe, too many chances. ‘Quicky’ had to make too many highlight-reel saves. But all in all, I thought it was a good effort by us.”
Lastly, Quick is just a good goalie in general. He has won three Stanley Cups (2012 and 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings and 2023 with the Vegas Golden Knights), a Conn Smythe Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs (2012), has played in the All-Star Game three times (2012, 2016, and 2018), and was a Second Team NHL All-Star (2012).
As such, Quick’s success to start this season should not come as a surprise to anyone. He still makes a lot of great saves, he gives the Rangers a chance to win every night when he is between the pipes, and he is still someone who can play like a number one goaltender.
The Rangers should count their lucky stars that they signed Quick because he has been nothing but a star since joining their franchise.
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