During last year’s offseason, the New York Rangers signed several unrestricted free agents, a few of which did not pan out.
Guys like Blake Wheeler, Tyler Pitlick, and Nick Bonino did not have much success with the club this season. Wheeler certainly brought a lot of leadership and was very well-liked, but it might be safe to say that his time on Broadway is done after getting injured a week or so ago.
One signing that has worked out, however, is Jonathan Quick. Drury signed Quick, 38, to a team-friendly one-year, $825,000 contract on the first day of free agency last offseason and boy has it paid off in dividends.
Going into Sunday night’s February 25th game between the Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, Quick has been one of the league’s best goaltenders this season. Yes, you read that right.
Quick is currently 13-4-0-2 with a 2.36 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage, and two shutouts. For someone who was supposed to come in and be Igor Shesterkin’s backup, Quick has performed like an elite starting goaltender every time he has gone in between the pipes this season.
Speaking of statistics, look at where Quick ranks among the league’s best goaltenders this season:
- Tied for third in the league in goals-against average (2.36)
- Fifth in save percentage (.917)
- Tied for 13th in shutouts
Quick has also come up big in a way that the team probably never thought they would, and that is during Shesterkin’s injury and struggles. Before the season, no one thought that Shesterkin would miss several games with an injury and then struggle to find his game.
When all that was going on, all Quick did was come in and convincingly win hockey games. He made big saves, did not allow soft goals, and kept the Blueshirts afloat while Shesterkin worked to get his game back in working order.
Another way that Quick has been valuable to this hockey club is that he has taken a lot of pressure off of Shesterkin, 28, to be perfect. In previous seasons, Shesterkin probably felt like he had to win every game he played in and could not afford to have an off night.
With Quick now backing him up, Shesterkin more than likely knows that if he gets hurt again or does not look good between the pipes, Quick can come in and get the job done for the team. Obviously, Shesterkin does not want either of those things to happen, but at least he can rest easily should they occur.
Lastly, Quick has shown his teammates that he knows how to battle. He battles through screens, shots from in the crease, and he uses every part of his body to keep pucks out of the net.
This is why the Rangers need to do everything they can to keep Quick beyond this season. It is clear that Quick loves playing with his favorite team growing up and that his teammates love playing with him and for him.
This should be easy for Drury to accomplish. Hopefully, Drury will do the smart thing and bring him back for one or two years once this season is over.
