Livescore
Patrick Kane was not the only 2010s icon to be traded from their longtime club. Unlike Kane’s deal, this one came out of nowhere.
The Kings stunned the hockey world late on Tuesday night, trading goaltender Jonathan Quick and two picks to the Blue Jackets for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
It marked the end of the Quick era in Los Angeles, where he had spent the entirety of his 16-year career. GM Rob Blake shipped out the two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2012 Conn Smythe winner, who was an integral part of the Kings’ dynasty nearly a decade ago.
To make matters worse, he sent Quick to Columbus, the worst team in the league.
Quick, along with other Kings players, were understandably upset by the news. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that saying Quick was unhappy with the news would be an “understatement.” Captain Anze Kopitar, fresh off a four-goal performance in a massive OT win over the Jets, looked dejected in his post-game presser.
Blake addressed the two biggest needs for the team on the left side of the blue line and in the crease. But that doesn’t deny the awful aftertaste in everyone’s mouth seeing a franchise legend moved in cold fashion in the final year of his contract.
MORE: Tracking the latest NHL 2023 trade deadline rumors
The Sporting News takes a look at the reasons behind the Kings moving Quick.
Why did the Kings trade Jonathan Quick?
1. Upgrade the goaltender position
If you take the emotional part of the trade away and look at it strictly from a hockey ops perspective, the deal is a no-brainer.
Korpisalo has been a superior goalie this year to Quick. That’s just the facts. His goals-against average is better (3.17 to Quick’s 3.50), his save percentage is better (.913% to Quick’s .876%) and his goals saved above expected is better (8.4 to Quick’s -19.0).
The Kings need stability in net with their eyes on the postseason. Pheonix Copley has temporarily given them that in the two months, he has been the starter, but he’s a 31-year-old who has 58 NHL starts under his belt with no previous playoff experience.
Korpisalo not only is an upgrade over Quick as the backup but there is also the potential that he will take over as the starter. As soon as Copley begins to slip, coach Todd MacLellan can turn the reins over to Korpisalo, who played in nine postseason games during the 2020 playoffs for Columbus.
Quick has been one of the worst goalies in the NHL this year. Los Angeles was a Copley injury away from having to rely on Quick to find his form and get the team into the playoffs. Korpisalo is a much better insurance option to have in net.
2. Move Quick’s contract
In order for the Kings to acquire both Korpisalo and Gavrikov, money was going to need to be moved. Korpisalo has a $1.3 million hit while Gavrikov is at $2.8 million, totaling $4.1 million.
Quick has a cap hit of $5.8 million. It’s one thing if a player isn’t holding up his end of a bargain on a contract, but Quick is the 10th-highest-paid goaltender in the league this year based on cap hits. That’s too much money to be giving someone who is a backup.
MORE: Full list of completed NHL trades before deadline
If the Kings wanted to keep Quick, either another contract would have to be moved to the Blue Jackets, or Columbus had to retain salary on either of Gavrikov or Korpisalo’s contracts, which would have cost more for the Kings. Ultimately, it was determined that the best financial move for Los Angeles was to send Quick in the deal.
By getting rid of Quick’s contract, the Kings could bring in both Blue Jackets and free up an additional $1.7 million in cap space. It’s enough for potentially another move by Blake at the deadline.
3. Focus on the future, not the past
There’s no denying that this could not have been an easy move for Blake. Quick was loved by the Kings fan base, bringing two Stanley Cups to the city and being the backbone for a dynasty that ran for a number of years.
However, Quick’s days of dominance are far in the rearview. It’s been four or five years of Quick regressing in the net. The team has improved over the last two years not because of the play of their goaltender, but because the rest of the roster is coming together.
Bottom line: the Kings got better after this deal. Much better, in fact. Was it the “right” way to address the team’s needs? That’s debatable.
But Blake is showing that he is all-in on the team this year and wants to do everything in his power to build the most well-rounded club. He’s not caught up in the past; his focus is on the future. Even if that means giving up a respected and loved icon.
Read the full article here
