For goaltender Jonathan Quick, what happened on July 1st for him is most likely a dream come true.
The Milford, CT native signed a one-year, $825,000 deal with the team he grew up rooting for, the New York Rangers, on the first day of free agency. According to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, the deal includes a $100,000 max bonus if all conditions are met.
Quick, 37, spent much of last season with the Los Angeles Kings, where he struggled mightily even though his team was on solid playoff footing. The Kings ended up trading him at the trade deadline to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he ended up winning the Stanley Cup as the backup goaltender.
A lot of people will look at Quick’s statistics from last season and will not be impressed. In 41 games, Quick was 16-15-0-6 with a 3.41 goals-against average, a .882 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Last season’s backup for the Rangers, Jaroslav Halak, performed much better than Quick did. Halak finished the season at 10-9-0-5 with a 2.72 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and one shutout.
With that said, this is a very good signing for the Rangers. For starters, Quick brings Cup-winning experience to this franchise.
While with the Kings, Quick won two Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in the playoffs. In 2012, he went 16-4 with a 1.41 goals-against average, a .946 save percentage, and three shutouts en route to helping the Kings capture their first Cup in franchise history.
Two years later, Quick and the Kings beat the Rangers in five games to win their second Cup. He went 16-10 with a 2.58 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and two shutouts.
This past season, he was Adin Hill’s backup in the playoffs when the Golden Knights won their first Cup in franchise history. This shows that when it comes to winning hockey’s Holy Grail, Quick has helped both on and off the ice.
As of this writing (Saturday, July 1st), the Rangers only have one player (for now) that has won a Cup, and that is Barclay Goodrow. When it comes to winning in the playoffs, the Rangers could use all the help they can get, and Quick is someone who can provide some much-needed guidance and leadership in trying to accomplish that goal.
Secondly, Quick can be a mentor to All-Star and 2022 Vezina Trophy-winner Igor Shesterkin. Yes, Shesterkin, 27, is the better goaltender and will get the majority of the games, but Quick can help him in terms of playoff experience, getting him to be patient in terms of winning the Cup, as well as being a sounding board for any frustrations that Shesterkin might have throughout the year.
Lastly, this deal brings Quick home. Quick grew up just outside of New York City and idolized former Ranger great Mike Richter.
Quick will now be able to play a part in helping the team he grew up cheering for in their quest to win it all.
