Jonathan Quick’s resurgence continues to greatly benefit Rangers
The New York Rangers often get bailed out by their star goalie, Igor Shesterkin. However, they have been able to rely on their backup goaltender just as much this season and last. That goalie is Jonathan Quick, who stopped all 24 shots he faced against the Seattle Kraken in a 2-0 Rangers win Sunday to start a four-game road trip.
This was Quick’s second consecutive shutout, and pushed his record to 4-0-0 in four starts this season. The 38-year-old hasn’t just won those four games — he’s been exceptional. Quick sports a .970 save percentage and 0.91 goals-against average in five games (including one in relief).
Quick hasn’t allowed more than two goals in any appearance and has surrendered one or fewer four times. Only reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets has more shutouts than Quick this season.
The advanced numbers are also strong for Quick. Last season, he saved 0.372 goals above expected per 60 minutes. That ranked 11th among goalies who played at least 10 games, and was ahead of star goalies like Sergei Bobrovsky, Ilya Sorokin, Linus Ullmark, and even Shesterkin. This season, albeit in a small sample size, Quick is first with an outstanding 1.923 goals saved above expected per 60.
“It’s pretty incredible, I don’t know how many guys his age can move like that,” defenseman Zac Jones told reporters postgame. “He’s one of the backbones of our team, and he proves it every night”.
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from 2-0 win against Kraken
Jonathan Quick’s unexpected journey to become key Rangers piece
The Rangers signed Quick in the summer of 2023 after he had the craziest season of his career. He began that season with the Los Angeles Kings, as he had for the previous 15 years. It became apparent that Quick wasn’t the answer for the Kings that season, who had aspirations of a deep playoff run and saw a declining asset in the goalie who’d previously led them to Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014.
Quick endured the worst season of his career in 2022-23. He had an .876 save percentage with the Kings and allowed the fifth-most goals above expected in the NHL. The Kings then did the unthinkable, trading the franchise legend in an effort to improve their goaltending. Quick was initially dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who then flipped him to the Vegas Golden Knights.
After making 10 appearances for the Golden Knights in the regular season, Quick was relegated to third-string duties in the playoffs. Even when starting goalie Logan Thompson went down, Vegas turned to Adin Hill in net instead of Quick. At the end of the playoffs, Quick picked up his third Stanley Cup ring, but certainly had less to do with this one than the previous two.
Quick could have just ridden off into the sunset after this, being 37 years old at the time. However, that wasn’t what he had in mind. Instead, he signed a one-year deal with the Rangers for $925,000 prior to last season. It was easy to be skeptical of this move from a Rangers perspective.
It was a nice story for Quick to join the Rangers, because he grew up a fan of the team during his childhood in Milford, Connecticut, having idolized Mike Richter. However, having a 37-year-old goalie with a history of injuries and coming off the worst season of his career being the main backup to Shesterkin certainly raised some eyebrows.
Quick has answered all the questions that anyone would have had of him. He played so well last season (18-6-2, 2.62 GAA, .911 save percentage, two shutouts) that the Rangers signed him to another one-year deal in March. He’s now three wins away from becoming the first U.S.-born goalie in NHL history with 400 wins.
“You’re honored to have those numbers.” Quick said after the game. “At the end of the day, as a goalie, you’re very dependent on your team in front of you.
“All those numbers really mean is I’ve played with some great players and teams that value winning more than anything. I consider myself very grateful and lucky to have played with all those guys over the course of my career.”
It definitely hasn’t been all luck for Quick in his career. If and when he reaches the 400-win club, he will have a strong case to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s already the winningest United States-born goaltender of all time, has three Stanley Cup wings, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012 as playoff MVP. Quick never won the Vezina Trophy was a finalist two times.
There will be time to discuss Quick’s legacy after his playing days are over. Right now, he and the Rangers are just reaping the benefits of his play when he’s called upon to give Shesterkin a night off. If Quick continues to play like this, a case can easily be made for the Rangers having the best goaltending tandem in the NHL.
More About:New York Rangers News